Undercover Truths
by JMS529
Summary: Part of LJ Secret Snowflake. Mary and Marshall go undercover as newlyweds in Paris,France to get a man who witnessed a murder at the U.S. Embassy out of the country with his family before any one can discover the identity of the witness.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own IPS never have never will.

Thanks to The Dog in the Manger for betaing this story.

**Undercover Truths**

Stan had been on the phone for over three hours dealing with both the French and U.S. Embassies to arrange for securing the Williams family and bringing them back to the U.S. and into the Witness Protection Program. The family was still in the Hotel Le Meurice in Paris. He needed to get Mary and Marshall into the hotel to gain the trust of the family and make it look like everything was normal. They would need to stay a week and blend in like any other tourist. The problem wasn't with Marshall blending in, but Mary would be the interesting one. With Marshall there he'd get her through it. Maybe their undercover story would shed light on a few things.

He watched from his office as the partners came in picking on each other. The two were in a good mood and Stan couldn't help but wonder how they were going to react to this.

"Mary, Marshall my office."

"Coming, Dad," they said in unison.

Stan rolled his eyes before indicating for them to sit down. This was going to be a long explanation.

"What's going on?" Mary asked.

"The two of you are going to pick up your newest witnesses. They are a family of four. You'll be leaving from here as soon as you're briefed and heading to New York before flying overseas. You will be playing tourist the first week and by the middle of the second week, you'll be flying back with the Williams. You won't need to pack for this trip. The items you'll need will be purchased in New York. You'll be flying on a private jet to your destination as you are going to be undercover for the first week. I want you to get a feel for the location and put together a threat assessment along with escape plans while playing your part," Stan said.

"What is our cover and why do we need one? Where exactly are we flying to?" Mary asked, knowing Stan was putting off telling them something.

Stan reached into his desk and pulled out two passports and handed them to the two inspectors.

"You will be going in as newlyweds Mary and Marshall Miller. You are to maintain your cover at all times," Stan continued, while reaching in again to grab out two boxes and handing them over. "This family comes from money and now so do Mr. and Mrs. Miller. This is why you'll be stopping in New York. I need you in the latest fashions. Mary you'll want to start wearing your rings now. You should have a tan line already from the engagement ring. You will have casual meetings with the family so they know you before you bring them back here. You will go sightseeing and at the very least pretend to enjoy it. While sightseeing take in the streets, side streets and any other information you might find helpful if anything goes wrong. The Police Nationale is aware of your presence, but not who you are. If there is a problem call the embassy and we'll get you help. We're going to have the Williams make and schedule tours for the next three weeks. Some you will go on with them others you won't. I want you to mix up being near them and not look out of place since they're a family and your newlyweds. There are days when you'll need to stay in your room all day. You need to keep up the pretense that you're madly in love with one another. In short form act like newlyweds."

"Out of the country? Where? Why" Mary said.

"Paris, France," Stan replied.

"If they're in Paris then why are we involved? Isn't this something that they would handle?" Mary asked.

"The French government requested us to help them get the Williams out of the country safely. They're unclear if the people that are after them have connections there. They would like us to get them home without incident."

"I'm still a little blurry on this crime in Paris having anything to do with us except for the fact they're Americans," Mary replied.

"The crime was committed at the U.S. embassy with makes it American soil. Therefore the trial will take place here. The Williams family currently has some guards with them, but the agreement between the embassies is to ease them out of the country slowly without sending up any red flags. They are trying to keep this under wraps. No one wants the murder at the U.S. embassy to be called that. Right now the information that came out was that it appears that one of the guests at the function that night died of causes yet to be determined," Stan replied.

"I take it the victim wasn't shot then. How was the victim killed?" Marshall asked.

"Injected with fast working poison. The attacker lured the man to a secluded area and jabbed the needle in his neck. We're not even sure if the Williams were seen by the attacker. One of the kids had wondered off and Mr. Williams was looking for him when he accidentally witnessed the attack," Stan replied.

"So why are we going as a married couple?" Mary asked.

"Did you ever pay attention in school?" Stan asked, looking at Mary like she was nuts.

Mary looked to Marshall.

"Paris is known as the city of love and lights," Marshall replied.

"You will be placed in the Prestige Suite which is near where the Williams are staying. Their guards are the only ones who will know what you look like. After that you will need to introduce yourselves. They won't know any of the details and you need to not only act like tourist, but like a newly married couple. Do you understand, Mary?"

"Why are you singling me out?"

"Marshall knows what romance is. Your version of romance does not meet the needs of the undercover job. Play the part, Mary. Pretend at the very least to be interested in the sites of Paris since it was you who chose the location for the honeymoon. You're going to have to be the girl on this assignment. You've been given a fairly large budget for this since you're staying at a fancy five star hotel you will be living a fancier lifestyle. Don't damage the clothes, car rental or loose the wedding rings. They are all on loan unless you destroy or lose them. Understood?"

"Yes, Stan," Mary and Marshall said at the same time.

"Here are your credit cards. You will be leaving Albuquerque and flying to New York to get ready for the trip. There will be a car waiting for you at the airport to take you shopping where I've arranged to have some one help you with your fashion choices. You will stay overnight and then leave in the morning for Paris. Any questions?"

"No," the partners answered in unison.

"Marshall, could you please stay for a few minutes? I need to talk to you about one of your reports," Stan said.

Mary looked at Stan oddly before heading out.

"Are you really going to be okay with this? I wouldn't have done it, but I need my best inspectors because of the circumstances. That and you're the only one who can keep Mary in line. All of these are unfair to you and I know that. Are you going to be okay doing this?"

"I can do my job, Stan."

"I'm not questioning that, Marshall. I know that you are capable of doing your job or I wouldn't send you. That doesn't mean it's going to be easy on you all things considered."

"All things considered, Mary's made her feelings for me known with every time she's turned tail and run. I know where I stand with her. This is an assignment and will be treated as such."

"Marshall, assignment or not it will be hard on you and I need you to know that wasn't my intention and if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you no matter what time there or here."

"I appreciate it Stan, but I'll be fine."

"The offer still stands. Take care Marshall."

Stan watched Marshall walk out and felt bad and hoped this didn't do any more damage to the two inspectors. They were starting to get back on even ground with everything that has been going on. He was also secretly hoping this might be a chance for Mary to realize what was in front of her. Stan knew he shouldn't encourage a relationship between partners as it was frowned on by the Marshal Service, but the two of them deserved happiness and he was pretty damn sure the only way they would have that is with the other. Now if Mary would only open her eyes, it would make this so much easier.

The only other problem was that if it did nothing for them then Marshall would once again get his heart trampled on by Mary and he wasn't sure that Marshall could keep taking it. At some point in here it would turn into a transfer request that Stan would want to deny, but knew he couldn't, for Marshall's sake. That's why he had to ask. Stan sent up a silent pray for a small miracle on this trip to happen.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary had waited at her desk for Marshall to come out. Something was off with Stan's request and Mary was concerned. The partners had seemed to hit a rough patch the last few years and were starting to finally get back to normal and Mary secretly worried that Marshall had enough of being her partner. He didn't act like it recently, but Stan wanting to talk about a report was a lame excuse to talk to Marshall alone.

Marshall came out of the office and was surprised to see Mary waiting for him.

"What did Stan want?"

"To make sure we could pull this off," Marshall said, not wanting to lie but knowing Mary would be offended by the truth.

"He's worried I'll screw this up?" Mary asked, hurt.

"Stan's worried that you won't know how to act like you're my wife and not my partner."

Mary had to admit it would be weird having to kiss Marshall, but she could pull it off.

"What's the big deal? You kiss one guy; you've pretty much kissed them all."

"That's the problem right there. When you're in love with someone it's like being with someone that is beyond comparison. When you're in a room with that person there is no one that stands out except the one you love. Your eyes only see them and no one else exists in the room but them. For example, if the top model walked in and a man that is so in love with his wife saw her; he wouldn't even think she compared to the beauty that is his."

"Alright, so basically I can only have eyes for you. No wandering looks to anyone hot men."

"You will basically have to forget they are there and let them know you're already taken."

"I can do that. We'll be fine. Let's go," Mary said, slipping her rings on her finger. "If I'm spoken for so are you, buddy. Get the ring on."

Marshall nodded and slowly slipped the gold band on. It was something he was figuring would never be on his hand. It felt like the ring was mocking him. Hell, he was more worried he couldn't do this assignment and come out whole. He knew full well that they'd be kissing and showing public displays of affection. It would be the only chance he'd ever have of any type of intimacy with Mary. Secretly he feared this case would be his undoing. Sighing he started towards the elevator where Mary waited impatiently. He could also feel Stan's eye watching him with what he could only assume was concern and Marshall honestly couldn't blame him.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary stared out the window as they flew to New York. Marshall had been unusually quiet and she wasn't sure if she should bring it up. He kept staring at the ring on his finger. Mary personally had found the gaudy jewelry to be more of a nuisance that she would have to put up with for the next week and a half.

Mary wondered if the ring reminded him of his failed relationship with Abigail. She knew Marshall wanted to settle down and have a family, but she also knew that Abigail wasn't the right person for him just as she knew Mark wasn't right for her. He hadn't been the first time and she knew it wouldn't have worked if they tried again.

"Marshall, are you okay? I'm serious so don't just say what you think I want to hear. Something is bothering you about all of this and I was thinking that maybe pretending to be married was. I know you were hoping things would work out with Abigail and I'm sorry in one sense they didn't," Mary said, realizing her slip of the tongue too late.

"In one sense?"

"Yes, I know that probably sounds terrible, but I'm sorry that you got hurt and didn't get to start the kind of future you want."

"But," Marshall said, trying to figure out the missing piece.

"She wasn't right for you. Abigail was while semi-nice she still had a lot of maturing to do and was too manipulative for her own good. She was trying to mend you into the role she wanted for you. It's similar to what Raph was trying to do to me. Things were good but they weren't right for spending the rest of our lives together. She had you do things that you didn't want to do by manipulating Stan to give you the time off and drag you to the SPA. I'm assuming you told her there was a reason for it, but she ignored it. Raph wouldn't understand that my job meant the world to me and dangerous or not I didn't want to quit in order to become a homemaker. That isn't who I am."

"Mare, she did that to spend more time with me. While I didn't appreciate the SPA or her using Stan to get what she wanted it was done for me. Raph wanted a whole new you. The two are hardly similar. I should have been able to marry Abigail instead of always looking for the one thing I couldn't have."

Mary felt her heart freeze at those words. There was someone out there that Marshall truly wanted and settling for less currently wasn't an option. Who was that someone and how could they not want Marshall?

"Who?"

"Who what?"

"Marshall, don't screw with me. Who is the person you want?"

"It doesn't really matter, Mare. It's just a dream that will never happen. Let it go."

"But…" Mary started, but Marshall cut her off.

"Let it go, Mary" Marshall said adamantly.

Mary stared at Marshall as he put his headphones on essentially ending the conversation. She ignored the nagging sense that she already knew who that person was because she knew it was wishful thinking on her part. She felt a shiver run up her spine at the thought of Marshall getting married to someone. It would change everything. They wouldn't spend as much time together, she learned that from his dating Abigail and when he had children he would see her even less. That thought hurt more than she cared to admit.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall had finally been able to check in at the townhouse inn they were staying at in New York. They had been whisked away in separate vehicles when they arrived and taken to several designer name stores to get their clothing for the trip. Marshall had never seen so much money dropped on clothes in his life and knew Mary would be in sticker shock for the rest of the evening.

Everything they now wore was designer and so the charade would start here in New York. This townhouse was sure luxury and definitely designed for intimacy for a couple. Marshall walked around the townhouse. At least they'd only be at this one for a night. The bedroom contained one king bed, there was a Jacuzzi tub facing a fireplace, a galley kitchen and intimate eating arrangement. There was no sofa for him to sleep on so they'd definitely be sharing a bed since it was the only option. Although he supposed that was the idea. It would be the same in Paris.

Sitting on the end of the bed Marshall began to rub his hands over his face. He was going to have to get his act together. Mary was also worried about him and he knew that he wasn't doing a good job of hiding anything at the moment. Taking a few deep breaths he tried to relax and when that didn't work he took out his phone and called his Mom. She was always a source of confidence.

"Marshall, how are you doing?"

"Hi, Mom. I just thought I'd call to check in with you. I probably won't be able to talk to you for a little while."

"Marshall, that's not why you really called, what is going on?"

Marshall took a deep breath and talked about what he could without telling his Mom anything about the assignment.

"Oh sweetie, things will happen the way they were meant to. You just have to stay true to your heart and yourself. It will all work out. I know you are losing hope about having the future you want, but it will come. You just have to believe in it and yourself."

Marshall heard the door and knew Mary was here.

"I have to go. I'll talk to you in a couple of weeks. Love you, Mom."

Marshall hung up just as Mary entered the room.

"Do you know what they put me through? I've been tortured and told that it was good for me. They made me get a pedicure and a manicure. I'm a freaking U.S. Marshal not a model. None of my choices in clothes were good enough but what they had me spend in designer clothes could pay my house off. I mean really who pays that much for clothes?" Mary complained while wheeling in her suitcase.

"Welcome to the world of living lavishly."

"You seem no less for the wear."

"It's part of the cover, Mare. Just play the part. It's all we have to do until we can go home."

"Wow, nice digs. This I could get used to," Mary said, walking around the townhouse.

"Well don't get too used to it. We're only going to be here for one night. Although luxury living, you can get used to for a few weeks."

Mary sat down next to Marshall on the bed.

"So what do we do now?"

"We eat, sleep and get ready for our flight tomorrow, honey."

Mary smirked at the comment.

"You are so lucky we have to pretend we're hitched, sweetie," she replied, sarcastically.

"Where do you want to eat?"

"The River Café, my brother took my sister-in-law there for their anniversary. It's supposed to be romantic place to eat and the food was really good according to my brother. I actually made a reservation while we were out shopping."

"I take it I have to dress up," Mary rolled her eyes and went to pick one of her new outfits. "Why don't you shower and change first?"

Marshall nodded and moved to gather some clothes to change into. The act begins.

Mary had been searching for what to wear. Finally pulling out a dress she turned towards the bathroom. She heard the shower stop fifteen minutes ago and knew Marshall would be ready shortly.

"Mare, the bathroom is all yours."

Mary looked up from grabbing her shoes and found she was unable to say a word. She had seen Marshall dressed up before, but the tailored black suit with the royal blue shirt made her previous thoughts of her partner look pure compared to what was running through her mind now. She thought he looked good in boots, denim and a blazer but damn was he hot in that suit.

"Mare?"

Mary was still trying to get over the fact that her geeky, tall, lanky looking partner now looked hotter than hell.

"Mare, are you okay?"

Mary had to shake herself out of her stupor.

"I'm fine, just thinking. I'll be out in a few minutes."

Marshall just shrugged, not sure what to make of Mary's behavior as he waited patiently for her to come out. When she did he couldn't help but stare at how beautiful she looked in the dress. It had a violet top with cap sleeves, a black skirt and a black leather belt with a horsebit detail on it. The skirt stopped just above her knee cap and gave him a full view of her legs. Her outfit was topped off with black open toed heels that had a horsebit decoration on them that matched her dress.

"You look beautiful," Marshal said, trying to keep his voice even.

Mary didn't know why but between the way Marshall was looking at her and the compliment he just paid her she felt a blush creeping up her face. She couldn't believe she was responding like a love sick teenager to a few words and a damn fine looking Marshall.

"Thanks," Mary whispered, wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

"The limo should be waiting for us downstairs."

"Limo?"

"Everything is about appearances."

"That it is," Mary replied, taking a more appreciative look at her partner while he briefly turned away.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall took Mary's hand as she got out of the limo and wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked to the entrance. Mary found it interesting that it didn't bother her when Marshall held her hand or wrapped his arms around her to keep them close. She didn't feel trapped like she usually did when someone else tried that. She tried to rationalize that it was because they were undercover, but she had been undercover as a couple before while working in the FTF and it felt like she was being trapped. Maybe because to her it felt like ownership and she had no intention of being owned by anyone. A little nagging voice in the back of her head was screaming at her that it should bother her then with Marshall doing it.

Marshall had noticed Mary lost in thought as the entered the restaurant. Leaning in close to her ear, he made it look like he was planting sweat little kisses on her neck.

"Where are you?"

Mary felt his closeness and the heat of his breath against her ear and felt her body flush.

"Sorry, lost in thoughts of the past."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Marshall. It's nothing, I promise. This just reminds me of something I did on a case years before I met you. Just finding it odd how different several years can make."

"First case? The one where the butterflies in your stomach make you want to be sick and you pray that you don't screw up and make an idiot out of yourself?"

"Been down that road before, have you?" Mary smiled, Marshall had hit pretty close to the truth. The case where she played the girlfriend was her first case.

"Try having an entire family name to live up to. It adds a whole new level of pressure to the job. Imagine being the son to the legendary Seth Mann," Marshall whispered, so only Mary could hear.

Mary hadn't thought about that. She was busy trying to rid herself of the image of being the daughter of an FBI's most wanted criminal while Marshall was being compared to his father. For her there was only one way to go and that was up; for Marshall the fallout would have been a lot greater. She was about to say something when Marshall moved them forward.

"May I help you?" the hostess asked.

"Reservation for Mr. and Mrs. Miller."

Mary didn't care for the way the lady was looking at Marshall like he was on the dessert menu. She cuddled up to Marshall's side catching him off guard but he recovered in seconds. She smiled as she saw the hostess turn her attention to both of them now.

_That's right lady no looking at my husband that way. Geez, why do people think it's okay to stare at someone else's date when it's obvious they're with someone. It's so damn rude. At least she got the hint to back off. _ Mary couldn't help those thoughts. It was irritating, just like the steward that hit on Marshall when she was sitting right next to him on the plane and they were obviously talking and friendly with each other. Granted they weren't a couple, but he didn't know that.

"Right this way, please," the hostess said leading them to a window seat that had a great view of the Manhattan skyline.

Mary waited until the hostess left. Noting that she took another look at Marshall before leaving the room and it was still irritating her. He was with her and there's a wedding band on his finger.

"I see why your sister-in-law liked this place. The view is amazing," Mary said, trying to distract herself from wanting to say something to the hostess.

"I think it was the first time Jake ever took Amy somewhere fancy. He wanted their tenth anniversary to be special."

"Do you talk to them much?" Mary asked, realizing that she hadn't ever recalled Marshall mentioning names.

"A couple times of year on the phone and of course Christmas with the family. He's busy between work and his family. It's the same with Chase and Linda."

"Are you close?"

"Not like we used to be. I wasn't very athletic and they were. As we got older they preferred to hang around with their friends instead of their geeky brother. They're more like Dad is."

_The judgmental type._ Mary couldn't help but think.

"Well that's their loss," Mary said, reaching her hand out to Marshall's.

Marshall held her hand realizing they were supposed to be playing a part. He was surprised that Mary had made the first move. He was expecting it would have to be him. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of their waiter.

"My name is Vincent and I'll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"We'd like a bottle of your best champagne," Marshall replied.

"Special occasion?" the waiter asked, making small talk.

"Celebrating our recent nuptials," Marshall replied.

"Congratulations, are you honeymooning here in New York?"

"Just an overnight stay while on our way to Paris," Mary replied.

"I'll be out with you champagne in a few minutes."

"A bottle of your best champagne? Are we trying to bankrupt our funds?" Mary asked, after the waiter left.

"High society, Mary. This is all in the budget. Just remember that everything goes back besides what we eat. Make it count. The odds of us getting this opportunity again are slim to none."

Mary smiled brightly.

"Pay back for some of those lovely hotels we've had to stay in. Marshall, I do like when your devious side comes out to play. I knew I liked you for a reason."

They ordered their food and enjoyed each other's company. When they were finished, Mary excused herself and went to the restroom. When Mary was coming back she saw the hostess had stopped by their table and was openly flirting with Marshall as she handed him his credit card back.

Mary sent a glare her way when she turned around to answer a question. The hostess quickly finished her conversation with Marshall before heading towards the front again.

Marshall stood up as Mary came back to the table.

"Are you ready to go?" Mary asked.

"Sure, the limo is waiting in the parking lot."

Mary had planned to make a comment so the hostess could hear her when they left the restaurant, but was disappointed to see her gone. When they exited the building Mary caught a glance of the hostess watching them. She was obviously on a break.

"Let's walk through the park before heading to the limo," Mary said, even though she could feel the cold breeze off the river.

Marshall saw the goose bumps on Mary's arms and unbuttoned his suit coat and put it over her. Mary smiled at him before hooking her arm through his and leaning her head against his shoulder. He knew she was up to something but what and why had him confused.

Mary walked arm in arm with Marshall until she was sure they were in full lighted view of the hostess. She stopped then turned towards Marshall and pulled his head towards hers before capturing his lips in a demanding kiss. Her intentions of making a statement to the hostess were quickly forgotten as the kiss deepened and the reason Mary had started this in the first place slipped her mind.

Marshall wasn't as surprised as he thought he would be when Mary initiated the kiss. He knew she had been off and was up to something when she leaned her head against his shoulder. Mary Shannon didn't do displays of public affection without a purpose.

The feel of her lips against his sent a raging fire of desire through his veins. He pulled her closer and gently cupped her face with his hand while deepening the kiss. He felt Mary respond and soon they had to separate to catch their breath. Marshall leaned his head against hers before placing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Mary was stunned speechless by the fact that she had just thoroughly kissed her partner and enjoyed it more than any other kiss she had ever had. She had originally just wanted to make a statement to the hostess about proper etiquette. Not that she herself was good at it, but at least she didn't hit on married men.

"We should probably get back to the hotel. We leave pretty early tomorrow," Marshall said, knowing they were both over thinking what just happened.

"Yeah," Mary agreed, trying not to think of the fact that they were going to be sharing a bed.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall lay in the bed unable to sleep. The kiss was still lingering in his mind and to add to that Mary had come out in a silk gown that accentuated her every curve. There was no way in hell his heart was going to survive this assignment intact. He had debated twice about calling Stan to tell him to get someone else. He just couldn't do this, but he knew it was too late to change the plan. He was going to have to suck it up and take one for the team. The job had to come first since a family's lives were at stake.

Mary knew Marshall wasn't asleep and that something was bothering him, but she couldn't bring herself to ask because she was having her own issues. Her cell phone had gone off while she was in changing and she answered when she saw it was Brandi. She worried about her sister now that her and Peter were over. There would be no reconciling and for that Mary felt bad for both Peter and Brandi. She couldn't fault either of them. Mary thought back to the phone conversation that was causing her to lose precious sleep.

"_Squish, what's wrong?" _

"_We were supposed to go out for drinks tonight. I take it you're busy." _

"_I'll be out of town for a few weeks. Not sure exactly when I'll be back." _

"_What's wrong? Marshall okay?" _

"_Of course Marshall is okay. Why wouldn't he be?" _

"_You're upset about something and usually that relates back to Marshall being hurt if you're at work." _

"_No, he's fine."_

"_Then what's wrong?" _

_Mary knew she couldn't go into the specifics about the case but she could tell her about the hostess and say they'd gone out to eat. So Mary worked around the case details and stuck to the basics without mentioning the kiss that turned her insides to mush._

'_Oh my gosh, you are so jealous," Brandi said. _

"_I'm not jealous," Mary defended. _

"_The hell you're not. Mary, you consider Marshall your property. You don't like it when he dates other people. You hated Abigail because he was spending time with her and not at your beck and call. The thought of sharing him with anyone grits on your nerves. Why wouldn't the hostess hit on him? Marshall is a good looking man, has great manners, cares about people and is always willing to help. He's nice and he's smart. I should stress the good looking part here." _

"_You are so **not** even going to consider hitting on him. Do I make myself clear?" Mary demanded, bothered by the fact that her sister thought Marshall was hot. _

"_I wouldn't dare put myself between you and Marshall. I happen to like my body in one piece. Maybe while you're together on this trip you might start thinking about what he means to you, why you're happiest when he's around and why it bothers you so much if someone take an interest in Marshall. Stop living in denial Mary. There is one person that is perfect for you and you know exactly who that is. You just have to admit it to yourself and stop being afraid. He's not Dad. You've given him plenty of reasons to run and he's still there. He won't wait forever, Mary. You'll break him if you keep playing with his emotions. I know that I'm probably not the best person to take advice from but this is the one thing that I know I'm right on. Take care and make sure the both of you stay safe."_

"_Bye."_

Mary sometimes hated having a sister. All of her comments were swirling around in her mind. She couldn't decide what scared her more, the thought of breaking Marshall or the thought of losing him to someone else.

Another hour passed and she finally heard Marshall's breathing evening out and she let herself finally fall asleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall woke before the alarm clock went off. Shutting it off, he headed to the kitchen to get coffee started before heading into the shower. He grabbed a business casual outfit. He really missed his cowboy boots. At least he could be back in jeans part of the time once they started their sightseeing expedition.

Mary heard the shower running and groaned. She wasn't ready to be up yet, but then the wonderful aroma hit her nose. Thank god for Marshall. The man always knew to have her coffee for her first thing in the morning. It was the one thing she didn't know how she survived without when she was pregnant. She was so glad she could have her sleep deprivation cure now. Not sure what to wear she waited for Marshall to come out while she savored a cup of coffee.

When Marshall exited the bathroom Mary damn near let out a whistle out how good fitted clothes looked on her "husband". They accented the muscular frame that he kept hidden underneath the blazer. Mary couldn't help but hear Brandi's words in her head about Marshall being hot. She wasn't sure if it was the change in clothes, her lack of sex life or the fact that maybe deep down she knew Brandi was right.

"So we're going business casual for the flight?" Mary asked, before she started to go down a path she wasn't ready to just yet.

"We're supposed to be on vacation so I figured business casual for the flight and finally jeans when we go sightseeing. The dressier clothes can be used for going out for dinner, theater, clubbing or whatever we decide to do. I'm assuming we'll spend our first day in the room. We can get acquainted with the area, do a threat assessment and come up with some ideas of what to do while pretending to be busy making love to one another. The next day we can sleep in and then do some sightseeing and shopping if you want."

"More shopping? I'm not sure that I'm up to that."

"Well at some point, I'm assuming that we'd be expected to look at the boutiques. I'm figuring the Williams will be looking to take the kids to Disney so we'll probably end up there."

"I'm supposed to pretend to be enjoying all of this right?" Mary asked, wondering again how bad this was going to be.

"Afraid so. You're going to have to suck up your unnatural dislike for all things fun, crowded or touristy and have a good time."

"I'm so dragging your ass to some dance club to blow off steam. So you better plan on dancing partner and I don't mean the mambo," Mary said, heading towards the bathroom.

Marshall rolled his eyes. Just what he needed dancing Mary's style. Grabbing himself a cup of coffee he began to pack up their things and make sure the bed was messed up so it looked like they celebrated their honeymoon.

Mary looked on in amusement as Marshall started to dishevel the bed. Although when he finished it did look like they had a torrid night of passion. The thought of him knowing how to make it look like they'd had a passionate night together briefly made her stomach churn. It meant that he'd done it before and she didn't want to think of who that might have been. Was she really jealous? Could Brandi be right on that?

"Are you ready to go?" Marshall asked, pulling Mary out of her thoughts.

"Give me a few minutes to pack the necessities. Did you think about leaving a condom in the trash?" Mary asked, noting Marshall's neck turn red.

"How often do married couples use protection on their honeymoon? I have a niece and a nephew to prove how easy it is to do that," Marshall replied.

"Twins or both brothers knock their wives up on the honeymoon?"

"Twins. Linda figured they'd forget the condom and had the birth control patch on before they left in case they got carried away."

"They actually shared this with you?" Mary asked surprised.

"No, Chase was giving Jake crap for one of them not thinking ahead of time."

"Do they regret it?"

"Nope, Cherish and Aaron were their first born. They adore the two although now that they're getting to the rebellious stage they have more complaints. The joys of the teenage years."

Mary nodded as she zipped her suitcase up.

"Why do I have a feeling your brother will nip that right in the bud?"

"Probably because you figure they're more like my Dad. This would actually be a good assumption although all of us have put the reigns on those two at some point."

"No, not Uncle Marshall? You wouldn't do that."

"I definitely have and would again. I may adore my nieces and nephews, but I don't have a problem correcting them if they do something wrong. It's not fun and I hate it, but that is how they learn."

Mary couldn't help but think that had to hurt Marshall more than the kids. She knew he didn't like being the bad guy in things. He liked to work things out as amicably as possible. She also knew that if push came to shove he would definitely be doing the shoving if it meant helping someone out in the long run.

"Come on tough guy, are limo waits. How long is this flight?"

"Around seven and a half hours. You can sleep on the way there. It's a leer jet. We'll have plenty of space to get some sleep. Enjoy the extra space while you can. The return flight is going to be more crowded and the kids will probably end up sleeping on the trip home."

"That flight is going to suck," Mary griped.

"We'll have to stop and refuel somewhere, but it will probably be in the middle of nowhere for safety reasons." Marshall hoped they slept. He didn't want to see Mary stuck in a private jet with cranky or irritable kids.

"Joy," Mary mumbled, before grabbing Marshall's hand as they entered the lobby.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

They left on the private jet and Mary sat in the seat next to Marshall. They were going over the Williams plan schedule.

"Where are we going to meet them for the first time?" Mary asked.

"Your overwhelming desire to go to Disney Paris is going to come in handy for that on week two. Stan arranged for a private set up for all of us to meet at the park. We'll let them know that we're nearby and that we'll be pulling them out a couple days later. Stan doesn't want them to know who we are until then unless there is a problem. There's too much risk of them watching us too closely and alerting someone else of our presence. On the other hand, we're going to meet with the guards they were given so they do know who we are and what to expect if we have a problem."

"What happens if we're out playing tourist while and they run into problems? We won't be there to protect them," Mary reminded.

"The guards have the skills to move them and protect them. They will send us a warning and have a decoy team to make it look like they're being moved to a safer location while the team with them will take them to Le Bourget Airport where the jet will stay while we're here."

"Good, so we won't be leaving from the main airport. That gives us more security."

"The airport is used mainly for business jet and air shows. It is most famous as the landing site for Charles Lindbergh's historic solo transatlantic crossing in 1927, as well as the departure point two weeks earlier for the French biplane _The White Bird__ (L'Oiseau Blanc)_, an aircraft which took off in its own attempt at a transatlantic flight but then mysteriously disappeared somewhere over the Atlantic."

"I needed to know this because?"

"A little bit of knowledge can go a long way. By the way I got something to help you with this trip."

Marshall handed Mary a wrapped box.

"What's this?" Mary asked, surprised.

"Open it."

Mary ripped the wrapping paper off and read the box. She couldn't help but smile.

"I thought you were going to be my personal translator. Thank you. This is great."

"It will translate what someone says to you and you can type in what you want to say and it will translate it for you."

"Thanks, Marshall. When did you get it?" Mary asked, curiously. There was no way he bought it before leaving Albuquerque.

"While shopping in New York."

Mary looked the device over and actually took the time to read the instructions. If she got separated from Marshall now she'd be able to get information or anything else she needed. When she finished reading she looked to Marshall to talk to him but noticed he had fallen asleep.

Smiling Mary reached up and her and Marshall a blanket. After covering her partner with one she placed the other one around herself before leaning her head against Marshall's shoulder to get some sleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall woke to feel a weight on his shoulder as the pilot made an announcement that they were beginning their descent into the airport. He looked at Mary's peaceful face and didn't want to disturb the look. It wasn't a look she had often enough and he always hoped that one day he'd be the one to put peace into her life. Shaking his head to clear out the dream that would never come true, he gently shook Mary's shoulder.

"What?" Mary asked groggily.

"Welcome to Paris, France, Mare."

"How long have you been up?"

"A few minutes, I heard the pilot announce our descent. Mrs. Miller."

"Well thanks for the wake up call, Mr. Miller."

"You ready to begin the charade?"

"Are you?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Marshall said as they felt the wheels touch down.

Mary was a little concerned about that answer. Something was bothering Marshall and she had every intention of finding out what and making it better before they left. She didn't like the fact that he seemed down. It wasn't her Marshall. They had at least a week before they'd be meeting with the Williams so it would just be the two of them sightseeing and pretending to be madly in love. She would get him to talk then.

"Let's see what kind of car Stan got me to drive," Mary said.

"Try again, Stan mentioned that the car had to come back in one piece and I had to guarantee him that I wouldn't let you drive."

"What?"

"No driving for you unless it's an absolute necessity. You don't have patience to drive in Albuquerque and he doesn't want to know what you would do in a foreign country. The idea is to not get in trouble."

"Just because you drive like an old man doesn't mean I should have to be punished."

"Apparently, it pays to be the good guy. I get to have the fun on this trip," Marshall said, shrugging.

They exited the leer jet to see a Maserati GranTurismo waiting for them.

"Nice wheels."

"Don't even think about it Mary," Marshall replied, as one of the ground crew handed him the keys to the car.

Marshall programmed the GPS to get them to the hotel and they headed off.


	2. Chapter 2

Arriving at the hotel, Mary turned to Marshall trying not to let the elegance of the hotel shock her. She had been in a few fancy hotels but nothing like this. She didn't even want to know what the rooms cost.

Marshall leaned in towards her ear. "It's just fancier materials than what you're used to. We're wealthy people staying in a luxury hotel. Don't let the price tags shock you. Mr. and Mrs. Miller stay in places like this all the time. Just pretend it's any other place."

Mary looped her arm in Marshall's as they made their way to the check in.

Getting their keys they headed up the elevator while looking around the hotel to check all entrances and exits. Reaching their floor they were both relieved to see that the guards were not standing outside in the hallway. They made it to the entrance of their suite when they heard footsteps. Mary turned grabbed Marshall's hand that was about to use the key to enter the room and wrapped it around her waist. Grabbing his head she pulled him down to kiss him while she moved her key towards the door.

Marshall used his hand to cup Mary's chin and tilt her head so that he could see who was coming out of what room. Mary slid her hands up Marshall's chest and wrapped them around his neck while she released the handle. Marshall deepened the kiss, running his hands up and down her back before pulling her body close.

Mary almost moaned out loud at the contact of Marshall's body against hers. Finally breaking the kiss, she watched the man begin to walk down the hall.

"Honey, it's time to really start this honeymoon," Mary said, using a sultry voice while grabbing Marshall's hand and pulling him into the room walking backwards in so she could also see the person.

Marshall heard the door close behind him as Mary dropped her hand. He was trying to forget how good it felt to kiss her and hold her closely. He started running facts about Paris through his mind to try and slow down his heart rate and to clear his mind.

"We need to check in with Stan." Mary said, not realizing Marshall was still by the door.

"You go ahead. I need to use the restroom. I'll be out in a few minutes."

Mary looked at Marshall oddly before shrugging and calling Stan.

"McQueen."

"Hi Stan, we've just arrived at the hotel. What's the deal with not letting me drive the car?"

"It needs to be returned in perfect condition. Marshall will bring it back in one piece, besides he's a much more careful driver than you. How was the trip?"

"Fine. When and how are we meeting the guards?"

"Since you're on your honeymoon, you'll be ordering room service tonight. They're have room service twenty-four seven. The meal will be delivered by one of the guards, He'll on the door to the adjoining room and introduce you to his partner. They will have more information about the case and I sent Marshall a file on what we know about the group that is after the Williams. Marshall, if you need more information let me know."

"Marshall is in the bathroom at the moment, Stan. I'll let him know."

"Is he alright?"

"Yeah, a little jet lagged. Do we have a list of the other occupants in the hotel that is being run and a list of people on this floor?" Mary asked, switching the phone to speaker. "Marshall is with us now Stan."

"The lists of people's names are in the email I sent Marshall. The guard will be dropping off a laptop for you to use. Marshall, run the standard safety measures on it before using it."

"No problem, Stan."

"I'll check in with you two in a few days. Come up with an itinerary of places to go and eat. Don't forget you're dining high society. If you need help getting into any of the places, call me and I'll get my contact at the embassy to make sure you get in."

"Bye Stan," Mary and Marshall said simultaneously.

Once they hang up, Mary filled Marshall in on what Stan had said earlier.

"Why don't we get some rest now because once we order our food we're going to be busy coming up with a schedule of things to do while doing the threat assessments, alternate routes, diversions and anything else we may need," Marshall replied.

"I'm not really tired. I think I'll just stay up. You go ahead and get some sleep," Mary said, concerned. Marshall was off and it was throwing her for a loop.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall lay down on the bed and put an arm over his eyes. Here he was in one of the most romantic places in the world with the woman he was in love with, having to pretend to be married and yet it was all a charade. This isn't how he had imagined going to Paris.

He needed space from her in order to get his composure back. The problem was he could still feel her body flush against his and the pressure of her lips on his. Even in his best dreams it hadn't felt as good as it did when they kissed. How the hell was he suppose to protect his heart from shattering? Silently cursing himself he had wished he had just said no to Stan, that he couldn't do this and come out okay in the end. He knew they would be pretending a lot more intimacy and that there would be plenty more kissing coming up. If they didn't they would blow their cover. They were safe behind closed doors because they could drop the act, but could he continue to ignore how good it felt?

The more he thought about it the more he worried that he would say or do something in his sleep or actions that would destroy his partnership with Mary. A little voice in his head wondered if it wouldn't be for the best. There was no way she felt the same about him and he couldn't help but wonder if the truth slipped out how badly she would react and would they still be able to keep it together long enough to protect the Williams?

Marshall tried to clear his mind by thinking about the family and all the problems they could encounter in a country they didn't know as well as there own. It was why they would be doing a lot of touring around the various areas. They needed maps to plot out safe routes to get to the airport and alternative routes to take them somewhere safer if necessary.

It was the last thought Marshall had before his mind finally shut down long enough to allow him to fall into a restless sleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary watched the television for an hour before deciding to hang up their clothes and then check on Marshall. Seeing that he was asleep she began to look for a blanket to cover him up with. Finding one she began to cover him up when he started to toss and turn. Reaching out with a hand to stroke his hair to try and soothe him she yelped when he grabbed her arm and pulled him on top of her before realizing who she was.

"It's a little early in this marriage for the rough stuff cowboy," Mary teased as she saw Marshall's eyes widen when he realized what he had done.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"Never. I don't think you're capable of hurting me. Marshall, what's going on? You're tense and agitated. You don't usually toss and turn in your sleep. I'm worried about you."

"I just have a lot going on in my head with the case. I'll be fine, it was just an old nightmare that came up and you happened to pick the wrong time to reach out to me. Are you sure I didn't hurt you?" Marshall asked, gently turning her wrist to make sure there weren't any bruises.

"What was the nightmare about?"

"A combination of things, old and new. Nothing to cause alarm. What time is it?"

"You were only in here for about an hour. You should get more sleep. You look tired," Mary said, climbing over Marshall to get to the other side of the bed. Moving a few of the pillows to her satisfaction she situated herself along Marshall's side while putting the blanket over him.

"Mary, you don't cuddle."

"For the next two weeks I do," Mary replied, shifting her head off the pillows and onto Marshall's shoulder and wrapping an arm over his waist. "Now go to sleep so I can too."

"Bossy," Marshall muttered, but closed his eyes again. Ignoring his earlier thoughts he decided to just enjoy the moment and not think about the consequences.

Mary traced her fingers back and forth Marshall's shirt until his breathing evened out and he fell asleep again. Moving her ear closer to his heart she let his heartbeat lull her to sleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary woke to find Marshall still sleeping and noticed that it was night out. Looking to see what time it was she couldn't believe they slept that long. Not wanting to wake Marshall by moving she decided to enjoy the comfort of sleeping on his chest with his arm draped across her.

Mary thought back to their earlier conversation. Marshall was right about her not liking to cuddle because she usually felt trapped by the man who had his arm around her like she was a possession. Raph, Faber and Mark all had done the same thing at one time or another and she hated it. She usually took the offending arm and moved it off. It was different with Marshall, just like most things were. It seemed more of protective or reassuring way of letting her know he was there for her. She couldn't figure out why it was so different. Raph used to get frustrated by her restrictions when it came to romantic gestures. She hated public displays of affection as once again she felt like it was Raph trying to scream to the world he owned her. No one owned her. It had been one of the many issues between the two. A few weeks after breaking up with Raph, Mary had started to realize how many differences there were and knew she had done the right thing. It was hard to admit to herself that while Raph had loved her and was in love with her; she had loved the idea of being normal and that was what she thought Raph was. His aunt's arrival really put things into perspective for the two of them that they should have seen years ago. How much time did they spend together for the wrong reasons? Raph would say none except that he lost several years of being able to work on a relationship that would turn into his version of what a marriage should be. Mary knew she was the one to blame for that and suddenly realized that was why not wearing the ring bothered her so much. It wasn't losing Raph, but the sense of losing a chance at being normal.

Turning her attention back to Marshall, Mary couldn't help but wonder what had happened between Abigail and him. It seemed like they were going to work out. Mary wondered if it was the age gap or just the fact that she was trying so hard to make Marshall like the things she did and to be the perfect girlfriend. Something had slowly cracked at the relationship and then it crumbled completely shortly after Mary lost the baby.

Mary reached up and gently stoked the side of Marshall's face. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to change Marshall. Well, okay maybe the trivia bit but after awhile it just grew on you anyways. The one thing Mary knew that they wouldn't on this trip was go the hotels SPA. Marshall hated them and she had remembered their discussion about Abigail taking him to one even though she knew that he didn't want to go. It had irritated her back then that she could be so inconsiderate of Marshall's feelings.

That thought led back to Marshall's strange behavior. Mary still couldn't figure out what was causing it. She had a feeling from his earlier response that it was one thing he wasn't willing to share with her. She wondered if he had plans to take Abigail here if they had gotten married. It would explain a lot. She was going to have to figure out a way to make him forget about his ruined relationship with Abigail while they were here.

Marshall had been staring at Mary while she was lost in thought. A part of him was surprised that she was still nestled up to him, especially when he realized he had his arm wrapped around her. He began to slowly move it so that she didn't feel trapped.

The slight movement of Marshall's arm brought Mary out of her thoughts.

"You don't have to move your arm. I'm actually comfortable."

"Mare, you're thinking so hard that I could smell smoke. What's going on?"

"I was just thinking about my past and the present. Are you ready to call for room service?"

"Yes, we need to get the information. We shouldn't have slept as long as we did."

They both got up when Mary realized they were going to need to keep up the newlywed appearances. Mary grabbed the bedspread and yanked it down while messing up the sheets. Going to the closet where she hung their clothes she tossed Marshall a robe while she quickly went to change into one also.

Marshall was staring at the robe in his hands in confusion, until Mary came out in a short silk robe that showed off her legs. He noticed she also messed up her hair. Marshall noticed where she grabbed the clothes from and reached in to grab a pair of lounge pants.

"I don't think so my shy friend. Honeymoon means sex and sex means no clothes. Cover or not it has to appear real. Someone might walk by, just put the robe on," Mary replied, making sure her robe was secured. "What do you want to eat?"

"Grab the room service menu and I'll let you know," Marshall called out from the bathroom.

There was no way in hell he was going out there with nothing but a robe. He removed everything but his boxers and then tied the robe closed tightly. He didn't even want to think if Mary had any clothes on underneath her robe. He'd be too distracted to concentrate on the job at hand if he let himself imagine that.

"What do you want to eat?" Marshall asked Mary after looking over the menu.

"Surprise me," Mary replied, not really sure what the menu said.

Marshall rolled his eyes, knowing Mary didn't bother to look it over closely as the English translation was on the right hand side of the menu. Marshall picked up the phone.

"Je voudrais ordonner le service des chambres" Marshall said.

Mary just stared in wonder. Why she didn't know. It seemed he knew every language under the sun.

"Je voudrais un de le Homard bleu grille, un de le Entrecôte, deux lunettes de le Pessac Léognan - Château Carbonnieux 2007, deux coca cola et un Biscuit coulant au chocolat Guajana, glace à la vanille Bourbon, s'il vous plait."

"So what exactly did you order us?" Mary asked.

"One steak, one lobster, two glasses of red wine, two cokes and for the dessert we'll be sharing Guajana chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream. I figured we could use the caffeine from the sodas to help us out later."

"You do plan on sharing the steak and lobster right?"

"Of course and I don't know why you feel the need to ask. You'd just help yourself to mine anyways."

"You like sharing. Come here a minute," Mary said.

Marshall looked perplexed but did what she asked.

Mary took her hands once he was in front of her and began to mess up his hair.

"Hey, stop that."

"Oh relax. A man on his honeymoon who has just spent all day in bed with his wife isn't expected to have perfect hair. As much as you hate being messy you're going to have to look the part."

"You sure you don't want to smear lipstick all over my face? At least this time I'd be prepared."

"You don't need swollen lips for the guards. Otherwise, I'd take care of that for you. Don't be so damn tense. I don't know why I'm the one having an easier time with this. It's just pretend sex in a 'romantic' atmosphere. Sex is the best part of romance anyways."

"Sex isn't romance, Mare. It's two people having physical needs met without any feeling involved except to find a release. Making love is about two people in love expressing their mutual feelings through physical pleasures while making sure the others needs are met. It's about the intimacy of being with the person you love and wanting to make sure they feel loved and cherished. It's about their pleasure meaning more to you then your own. There is a huge difference between the two. You're putting on a show to look like we've had sex. Romance is about showing the person you're with that you care about them; it's about building a deeper intimacy and connection to that person. It's about knowing what makes them happy and going out of your way to show it to them. It's putting someone else's needs before your own."

Mary knew Marshall was passionate about what he was saying. He wasn't the kind of guy to confuse the two and if she was honest he wasn't the casual sex kind of guy either. Yes, he slept with others but he had feelings for everyone he's been with. It was where they were hugely different. Mary had casual sex to feel a brief moment of pleasure or to blow off pent up steam. If she were honest with herself she probably never had made love to anyone. Raph would be the closest to it and she wasn't really in love with him. He was good in bed and knew how to pleasure her. She liked him a lot but that was as far as it really went, but she was more concerned with making sure her needs were met than Raph's.

"Alright there's a difference, Marshall. Why don't we figure out what we're going to see tomorrow? We can catch some sights and set up for dinner somewhere. We're going to need to come up with the places we want to go to and eat at in case some of them are hard to get into. We'll use Stan's connections to get us in. We can do a general list of popular attractions and then do a more thorough check when we get the laptop. Once we have at least a couple of days planned we can start on the information gathering."

Marshall felt bad that he let his frustration get the best of him. It just bothered him that sexual pleasure was her version of romance. He knew full well that she had never truly been in love or made love to someone from the comments she had made over the years. He just wished she'd let someone show her the difference. Just once he would have liked her to let down her guard to be loved and cherished by someone that wouldn't leave her. He would rather that person was him, but in the end if she were happy he could live with it being someone else. It would at least allow him to move on.

"Sounds like a plan, Mare. Let's grab a pen and paper for now and we'll do more once the laptop comes with the food."

"Thankfully, Disney isn't until next week," Mary said. She wasn't ready to deal with a bunch of little kids yelling, screaming and crying.

"I'm thinking tomorrow we will want to scope out the area around the hotel. We'll need to know what traffic is like and how easy it would be to make a hasty exit out of here."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking the Place de la Concorde after going to the Tuileries Garden. There both close to here and then we can see if we can arrange a private city tour. That will allow someone else to drive while we scope out the sites and the city. I would also like to get an actual map of Paris, so we can learn the streets just in case."

"That sounds good. I'm assuming that you have a semi game plan on how to fill our days, but I'm telling you right now the day you drag me to one of the museums is the night that we're going clubbing."

"Fine, if you're dragging me out to your kind of dancing then one night we're going for my kind. Don't give me that look, fair is fair."

"Isn't the museum going to be torture enough for me?"

"Not nearly compared to techno or whatever kind of music the DJ's will be playing while you blow off steam and make me join you."

Mary was about to argue but there was a knock on the door. She hadn't realized that they had spent that much time talking. Marshall stood up and looked through the peep hole before answering the door.

"Mr. and Mrs. Miller, you dinner is served," the man said entering the room with the cart of food. Once the door shut behind him, he went to the door in the living room unlocked it and knocked on the other door.

The adjoining door opened up and another man walked into the room.

"Mary and Marshall Miller, I am FBI agent Charles Jerome and this is my partner Mark Winston. We are two of the men assigned to the Williams family."

"What can you tell us? Have there been any signs of suspicious activities or anyone following the Williams?" Mary asked.

"So far nothing. They haven't been followed, no threats have been made and we haven't seen anyone suspicious hanging around the hotel or any of the places we've been too. They know their Marshals are here, but that they won't meet you until next week. They also have been told when you decide to leave they will have to be ready to go at a moments notice. We packed two suitcases ahead of time for them. They are in the suites next to ours. All of these rooms adjoin together. Once you give the go we will turn the Williams over to you. You tell us and we'll have them ready. The laptop your boss wanted you to have is underneath the cart. If there is anything you need, you can call us. Your boss gave us your numbers already if we run into any problems. If anything goes south along the way, we do have an FBI team that it prepared to be assembled to back you up. Depending on where you are will determine how long it takes us to reach you. Here are our phone numbers and if there is anything else you need let me know," Charles said handing him his card.

"We're going to need a bigger transport vehicle then the one we rented to get them out of here. How soon can one be ready?" Marshall asked.

"The office has set aside a minivan so that you can transport the family when needed. It is parked at the hotel so that it will be accessible to you. It's obviously not the one the family is using and we have a security camera on it at all times. If any one goes near it, we'll check it out and have another one brought in as a precaution," Mark replied.

"Thank you," Marshall said.

"Good luck to you. There are several files included with the laptop containing information about the Williams family, the suspect and the people he associates himself with," Charles added while Mark disappeared back through the door.

Mary moved over to lock the adjoining room doors as she didn't want Mark to feel that he could come in if he pleased. Charles was headed out the door.

"Enjoy your honeymoon and congratulations," he said, closing the door behind him.

Marshall moved to the cart and reached underneath to grab the files and his laptop. He set it up while Mary uncovered their meals.

"Plug it in start the security measures and get over here and eat your food while it's still hot," Mary ordered, noting Marshall plugging the laptop in and hitting it on already.

"Yes dear," Marshall replied sarcastically.

Mary debated about throwing something at him but her luck they would stain the floor or break something and Stan would be furious once he received the bill for damages.

"So, we do the two places tomorrow and then we're going to have to go somewhere for dinner. Any suggestions my French speaking partner?"

"I think we look on the internet for some of the best restaurants and see if the concierge can get us in and if not we call Stan. Although if we're going to call Stan we might want to set up several things so that he can pull the strings all at once if we can't get in on our own."

"New game plan, come up with at least a week worth of activities before digging into our witnesses, suspect and known associates. Is it me or does this feel like we're doing everything backwards?" Mary asked, splitting the steak in half.

"It's because we didn't get a chance to do any research before leaving and we're in a foreign country where we aren't familiar with the terrain. We're basically starting with a blank slate and we have to fill it in," Marshall replied trading part of the lobster for the steak.

"That is the part that is bothering me," Mary admitted.

"Which part? The research or the not knowing the area?"

"Both. I realize that's why we're playing out this charade. Stan doesn't want us attempting to move the Williams without getting at least partially familiar with the area, but still this is a high risk plan. While things seem alright so far, the whole thing could go up in flames at any second. We'd be flying blind. The only thing we know is how to get from here to the airport. That leaves us one exit route."

"That is why I want to get a map while we're out tomorrow and research alternate air fields tonight. I want to study them both thoroughly. We won't be going out tomorrow night for dinner. We can either order in here or make a reservation at the restaurant downstairs. We're going to have to go out the rest of the week, but I would like to have several contingency plans figured out before we start spending time away from here. Sleeping in would make sense, but if we want to maintain our cover we'd best be going out some."

"Really because I thought most honeymooners stayed in bed and ravaged each other all day."

"Nice try but you're not sleeping in all the time. We need to know the area and look like tourists. I don't think most people honeymoon in Paris to stay hidden in their room all day. If you wanted to do that why leave home?"

"Spoilsport."

They finished eating the food before moving the cart back into the hallway. Marshall moved over to grab his lounge pants and a t-shirt before coming back out and sitting on the sofa spreading his feet out on the coffee table with the laptop in his lap and the files scattered around him.

Mary come out in a velour jacket and track pants and sat next to Marshall. They would have to come up with a plan and then she would call the concierge to see what he could arrange and then call Stan to take care of the rest.

"Alright my tour guide. Tell me how you're going to torture me over the next few days." Mary said.

"I took the liberty of arranging a private Discover Paris City full day tour. It will take us to Champs Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Paris Opera, Louvre Palace, Orsay Museum, and the Eiffel Tower. That should at least give us an idea of what is where. Tomorrow, we'll stick to the original plan. I figured we could walk around the gardens, do a little shopping and try to get our bearings. I promise the shopping is only for a map unless there is something you want to look for."

"No thank you. This is about the most comfortable thing that the fashion expert let me buy. It of course had to come with an Armani name tag on it. Seriously, do you realize how many of these I can get from a normal store for one of these? The only difference is the brand name."

"If it makes you feel better you can wear your designer jeans tomorrow. I'm wearing mine. I miss my boots."

Mary couldn't help but smirk at that. "Did she at least let you buy a pair of decent tennis shoes?"

"Yes, he did. If you want to get technical I was allowed to buy two pairs of Gucci sneakers. One black pair and one white pair were allowed. Not single pair of western boots was though."

"I bet he took away your belt buckle too. My poor cowboy has been turned into a designer man."

"Like you're any happier in the clothes they picked out for you. Those are the joys of undercover work. Now back to our honeymoon dear. There is a boat company that does private tours of the Seine River. It would include a sit down meal on the yacht called

Cachemire."

"That sounds nice. Put that one down. What else do you have?"

"We could go to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the attractions that are near to it. There is the **Sainte Chapelle****, **Palace of Justice, La Conciergerie, Pont Neuf and the Square du Vert-Galant. I also figured we'll need to pull some strings to get into the Le Jules Verne restaurant for an evening dinner at the Eiffel Tower. We can explore the tower while we're there. One day could be spent at the Louvre Museum. We could also check out the Arc du Carrousel while were there."

"Oh goody then we can go out clubbing that night. Give me the laptop," Mary said, grabbing it from Marshall to pick out a nightclub to add to their list.

Marshall figured that would be a long day and night. The next day they could be spent at the hotel to recover. He knew that Mary wasn't into much of the tourist stuff, but she would go with the flow since she had to. She would complain about it, but she would play her part out.

"There we go. Add the Le Cab to our list. They're open from nine to six in the morning." Mary was excited about the club. The club scene was much more her style.

Mary was hoping that Marshall would relax enough to have a good time. If not she'd find a way to get him to loosen up. It's not like she could pick up a guy at the bar and have some fun without risking their cover. If she was honest with herself she wouldn't consider it anyways. With Marshall there she couldn't do that to him. Plus with all the things Brandi said and the way she'd been thinking of him lately, he would be the only person she'd want to bring home. She wished she could blame the changes on hormones being out of whack but that excuse died a long time ago. Something about Marshall had changed in her view and it changed in a way she'd been fighting for a long time. This whole being honest with herself thing that started up recently was becoming a pain in her ass.

"Mare, you with me?"

"What? Sorry."

"I think that is a good enough start for now. The day after the clubbing maybe we can go shopping after sleeping in some. The fashion adviser mentioned it would be wise to at some of the boutiques in Paris. We'd look out of place if we didn't."

"Mine mentioned that too. I feel like I'm being tortured with the shopping aspect of the trip. It would allow us to sleep in especially if I keep you out all night."

"Alright, why don't you see what arrangements you can make for us and I'll start putting together the information on the Williams, what exactly they saw, who is after them and their known associates."

Marshall pulled up the case file on the Williams and began to read over it. They really didn't have a lot of information before they left. It was one of those fly by the seat of your pants jobs that he hated. The only reason he hated them was because it meant a lot of late nights trying to get the information that they usually had before heading to pick up their witnesses.

Marshall popped open his can of soda. He knew he was going to need the caffeine. He was in for a late night tonight. The first thing he wanted to know was what the family was composed of. He was assuming since they would make their initial contact at Disney they had children. The question was how many and how old. He was guessing at least one was around five. Wandering off seemed to be something they tended to do at that age or at least his nephews and nieces had attempted to around that age. Curiosity always got the better of a child.

Marshall grabbed the folder containing the family's information. Chester Williams was an attorney at Williams, Winchester and Howell law firm in New York. His brother worked at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France.

"What do you have?" Mary asked, finally coming back after making a call to the concierge who set up most of their plans. She had then called Stan to use his pull on the yacht and the dinner at the Eiffel Tower. He had just texted Mary back that the reservations were confirmed.

"Our witness is the brother to the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy here in France. Chester is an attorney at a successful law firm in New York. He married Grace Campbell shortly after they graduated from Harvard. They have four children ranging in ages from four to eight. The oldest is Harold, the twins are Victoria and Caroline they're six and the youngest is Richard. The youngest would be the one who wandered off."

"What do we know about who was killed, by who and any chance for the why?"

"The victim was Jarrod Winslow. He worked at the embassy in the visa office. The man that killed him is one Thierry Durand. He's one of the men working for Shawn Lambert."

"The 'Shawn Lambert'? The one the FBI has been trying to nail for years? Exactly how many connections does Lambert have and with whom? We could be getting into a whole world of trouble here" Mary said, realizing that Lambert had connections in several countries because he used them to smuggle women and children into the U.S.

"That would be the one. The good news is that from all accounts Durand never saw who witnessed the murder. That is why they don't want to make any sudden movements with the Williams family. Lambert probably has a list of attendees and is looking for someone to do something quickly."

"If we arrived and moved them the same day it would send out all sorts of red flags. If they only leave a couple days ahead of schedule then it will not be as suspicious. Stan arranged our stay to end the day of the extraction so it wouldn't single us out either. Do we have the list of known associates to Lambert and Durand here in France?'

"The FBI is sending us that information. We should be getting it shortly along with photos of the players. That is always a nice perk."

"Stan and the FBI are trying to get you hooked up with the Interpol database on a temporary basis so that we can investigate anyone that looks suspicious to us. We should be able to run facial recognition program through ours and their databases."

"That will come in handy."

"Marshall, it's late. You've been at this for hours. Why don't we call it a night? We can start again tomorrow. It will be easier after we do our exploring and finding you a map."

"You go ahead. I'll turn in shortly. I want to check a few things still."

"Alright, but if you're not in the bed in an hour I'll drag your scrawny butt into the bedroom." Mary kissed his cheek on impulse before heading into the bedroom to change.

She knew Marshall liked to have all the pieces together before turning in. The problem was this time it wasn't a possibility. They still needed to get the Williams agenda and find ways to cross paths with them while still maintaining their honeymoon cover. They both were aware that the FBI was currently watching the Williams, but since they already considered them their witnesses it was hard to be comfortable not having twenty-four seven access to them. She also knew that as much as Marshall wanted to know every route they could take, but he couldn't do that in one night. He was good, but even he couldn't memorize an entire country in that little bit of time.

Mary changed into one of the long satin gowns her fashion consultant made her buy. If the woman had her way, she'd have been in see through outfits that would have given Marshall a coronary. She had to admit it was weird to see him in silk pinstripe lounge pants. Marshall's usual lounge pants always made her laugh. They were uniquely her partner just like his cowboy boots and belt buckle.

Sliding into bed, she turned the light down and forgot about her plan to stay awake until Marshall came into the bedroom. She drifted off shortly after her head found the pillow.

Marshall began to look through his email and spotted one from Stan with the faces of known associates. He opened that one first, but minimized it before searching the locations of alternate airports. He then ran directions from the hotel, Disney Paris, Parc Astérix and France Miniature. They were the most likely places for the Williams to visit and for them to have access to talk to them if they needed to. They were also good places to get the family from if it was discovered one of them was the witness. He made a list of the attractions and their addresses. He continued to go over the maps and directions committing them to memory. Once he was done with the maps he returned to the email with the photos of the known associates. The number of people that Shawn Lambert knew would make their job more challenging. Who knows how many associates he would send to try and find their witness? Lambert would do anything to keep Durand out of prison. If Durand was convicted Lambert had to worry about him trading information on his organization for a lighter sentence.

Mary woke up to see that it was three in the morning. Rolling over she noticed Marshall wasn't there. Swearing under her breath she got up and made her way into the living room. The sight in front of her actually irritated her. Marshall was still pouring over information. It's not that she didn't appreciate his effort or his planning skills, but until they got acquainted with the area or attracted unwanted attention he was going to burn himself out early.

"I thought I told you that I wanted your butt in bed three hours ago. Let's go, buster. You're not going to continue going over the information while ruining your eye sight. You'll need it until I'm ready to retire."

"A few more minutes, Mare."

Mary rolled her eyes before moving over to the sofa.

"Hit 'save' on whatever you're doing now. That overactive brain of yours needs a break from all the information you have just crammed into it, and I don't intend on going back to bed alone."

"Mare, I'm almost done with this, I just need a few more hours."

Mary had enough, moving over she made sure that Marshall wasn't typing anything before clicking on the save button. She blocked Marshall's hands from the keyboard and made sure to shut it down before he could stop her.

"Damn it Mary, I wasn't done."

"Oh trust me, you're done. You're going to be exhausted tomorrow before we even get across the street. Now get your scrawny ass up or I'll do it for you. I'm not kidding, Marshall. Let's go."

Marshall glared at Mary, but when he saw her determined look and her arms crossed across her barely concealed chest, he realized, that this would lead to an argument and he didn't want their voices to get loud so they could be heard in the hallway. With a look that Mary was giving him, he knew it would escalate and it didn't look good for newlyweds to be arguing on their first night.

"Fine," Marshall said irritably.

"Marshall, it's our first night here. I know there is a lot of information to go over and we will, but burning yourself out isn't the solution either. Granted, we slept a lot more than normal today, but we were out late the night before, not to mention the running around we had to endure plus a double case of jet lag. We can stay up late tomorrow night and put a plan together when we're thinking clearly."

Marshall ran his hands over his face. He knew Mary was right but a part of him didn't want to admit it. The more time he spent close to Mary the more he was going to lose another piece of his heart.

Mary watched Marshall carefully. Whatever he was struggling with internally was affecting him and she could tell when it registered in his mind. Mary walked over to him and leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to the top of his head.

"What's going on Marshall? You're distracted about something and I'm worried about you. It's not just because you're tired. Talk to me, when we lay down," Mary prodded while gently tugging on his arm to get him to head towards the bedroom.

Marshall let Mary lead him into the bedroom trying to figure out what he could tell Mary without telling her the truth. The truth would send her running for the hills.

Mary waited until Marshall slipped under the covers before she slid in next to him and propped herself on her elbow to watch him as he talked to her. She traced her fingers through his hair hoping it would soothe or relax him some.

"Is this about Abigail? Were you planning on bringing her?" Mary asked softly.

Marshall looked into Mary's eyes and could tell she was being sincere.

"Abby and I didn't work out because there were too many differences in opinions that caused tensions and those differences weren't ever going to change."

"The job and the being gone a lot?"

"The job, being gone and other factors. It was a multitude of things not just one thing, Mare. Maybe the age gap was part of it also. I don't know, but we stopped making each other happy and spent more time away from each other."

Mary thought about that. He spent a lot more time at her house the month before the couple had broken up and sold the house.

"That explains your mood when you arrived at my place. I take it, things got ugly."

"I'm sorry about that. I probably shouldn't have stopped by. I was angry, bitter and shouldn't have brought that to you."

"How many times have I done that to you? I didn't mind, but I was worried. I'm glad you felt that you could come to me. So if this isn't about that then what is going on?"

Marshall looked at the ring on his finger. It was the one thing he wanted, but was beginning to think he would never get married and have a family.

Mary didn't miss the longing way he looked at the ring on his finger.

"I'm never going to have this for real. I'll never have the wife and the kids I have always longed for. I guess it's finally starting to sink in. I could imagine coming here for a honeymoon or anniversary and I guess that has been bothering me more than it should. I promise to let it go."

"I don't want you to let it go. I want you to hang onto that dream. It will happen, Marshall. You deserve to have everything you ever wanted."

"Deserve and get are two different things, Mary. There's a point where you just have to come to terms with the reality of things. Let's just go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a lot of walking and a whole lot of research and planning."

_You'll get your dreams, Marshall. _Mary didn't know how but she'd figure something out. Mary snuggled up to Marshall and tossed her arm around his waist wanting to comfort him somehow.

"Sleep, Marshall. Things will be better in the morning."

Marshall couldn't answer her. It wouldn't be better in the morning. Every day it was going to feel worse. In some ways he was hoping that they could expedite this witness relocation. He didn't want trouble or anyone getting hurt, but he wanted to stop playing the husband role and getting a taste of what he had always wanted but wouldn't have. He was seriously going to need some time off when this assignment was over. He needed to get himself back together. It was the last thought before sleep claimed him.

Mary was relieved when she realized Marshall fell asleep. She was hoping that when Stan called he might have a clue to Marshall's mystery. The conversation in Stan's office wasn't about them being able to pull of being married, but it was something important related to Marshall, and he wasn't willing to share. That was not something that she was accustomed to. Marshall was the talker. She was the person who kept secrets. It bothered her and oddly enough left her feeling insecure. Marshall was the dreamer, the believer, the romantic and hopeful one. What happened if he lost that? Mary held on tighter to Marshall as she worried about the recent change in his moods. This trip seemed to be bringing up doubts that she'd never imagine Marshall having. She had to find away to make it better. She had a week to do it provided nothing happened with the Williams. With this thought she closed her eyes and unconsciously gripped Marshall's t-shirt in her hand before letting sleep claim her.

Marshall woke to Mary once against lying on his chest and felt her tight grip on his shirt. He worried she had a nightmare and he had missed it. Unfortunately, in her current position he couldn't see her face. With his one free arm he reached over gently stroking her arm in what he hoped was a soothing gesture to whatever had caused her to cling to him. He couldn't help but smirk as Mary snuggled deeper into him as he continued the movement.

"Mmm," slipped out of Mary's lips. It was comforting to feel Marshall's touch on her arm after last night. She didn't know what caused his concern, but this was the Marshall she knew.

"Mare, you okay?"

"Uh huh."

Marshall wanted to laugh as Mary seemed content to just stay where she was. She was never a morning person but between the two flights she didn't seem to want to get up. Apparently, the nap yesterday didn't help.

"Why?" Mary asked.

"I was trying to figure out what my t-shirt did to offend you."

"What the hell are you talking about, Doofus? Why are you talking when I'm comfortable and could be sleeping more?" Mary asked, before realizing that she had his t-shirt gripped tightly in her hand. "Oh."

"Nightmare?" Marshall asked as Mary let go of his shirt.

"No, actually I slept really well. I didn't realize how good of a pillow you made," Mary said keeping her arm across his waist.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but time to go out in public and start getting familiar with the area," Marshall said, trying to appear to be his normal self. Mary was worried about him and it wasn't a distraction they could afford especially if he couldn't compose himself for the rest of the case.

"You take a shower first and I'll go next."

"I don't think so, Sunshine. If I go first you'll be asleep in the bed before I get out. So up you go."

"No, really, you can go first."

Marshall chuckled. "I know you better than that Mare. Time to get moving."

"If I refuse?"

"I'll either carry you in the shower and turn the cold water on or report you to Papa Stan."

"You wouldn't dare?"

"Try me," Marshall challenged.

"Whatever happened to being a gentleman?"

"I am, ladies first. You know I'm not going to let you go back to sleep and we really do need to get out Mare."

"Fine, you win," Mary grumbled as she got out of bed. "I'm wearing comfortable clothes."

"So am I. You don't have to dress up until tonight. I'll make us a reservation at the Restaurant le Meurice."

Mary rolled her eyes before moving to the closet and grabbing out some clothes grabbed her cell.

"Could you at least get me some coffee?"

"Coffee order coming up with pancakes." Marshall said knowing breakfast would be needed.

Mary smiled at that before heading into the bathroom. She turned the water to the shower on before grabbing her cell phone. While Marshall seemed more like himself today she was worried and decided not to wait another day to talk to Stan.

"McQueen."

"Hey, Stan, this is Mary"

"What's wrong?" Stan asked instantly on alert.

"The Williams are fine. We're going to do some sight seeing and looking around today. The schedule will stay the same as we gave you yesterday unless something happens."

"But?" Stan asked, knowing full well something was off or Mary would have waited to call him.

"I'm worried about Marshall. He's in a funk and I think you know more about it then I do. I want to help him, but I'm not sure how."

"Mary, what Marshall and I said to each other is between us. If Marshall wants to share it with you then he will. If he doesn't then you need to respect his wishes unless you're worried that this will affect his work."

"I think he's going to push himself beyond exhaustion if it means making sure everything is okay. This means work wise he's fine. He's down and thinking he won't ever be able to have a wife and children. It's not who he is Stan. You and I both know that. All I need to know who that someone is that he wants and talk to them or try and help him realize what a great guy he is. Can you please give me a clue here? I'm not kidding about being worried about him. I wouldn't be hiding in the bathroom having a conversation while pretending to be in the shower if I wasn't. You know we cover each other's backs."

"Mary, the only thing I will give you is that you need to think about everything that's happened over the years and open your eyes. Now, I'll call back and check in with the two of you tomorrow. If anything happens where you're concerned about him being able to keep the cover story up then you can call me. Every person hits a rough spot in their life Mary. Marshall is hitting his and you need to do what I said. I'll talk to both of you tomorrow," Stan replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Stan stared at the phone for a long time after hanging up. He wondered just how much damage control would be needed when this was over. Hell he had almost not sent Marshall. The problem was the only person Mary would be comfortable pretending to be married to, was Marshall. The other problem was that he needed his best team on this job. He just hoped it didn't cost him an inspector when all was said and done.

Stan wanted to help the pair out because he knew the truth. How did you get someone as stubborn as Mary to admit it? Add to that, he needed them focused on the case, which wouldn't happen if Marshall was struggling with their cover and Mary was worried about him. The only two people he could think of asking were Brandi or Jinx. Jinx was out of the question because Mary didn't need the drama. Brandi had matured enough that he actually figured it couldn't hurt to ask. He reminded himself that it was for the sake of the case and if his two inspectors were able to find happiness along the way, well that was an added bonus.

"Hello?"

"Brandi, this is Stan."

"Are Mary and Marshall okay?" Brandi asked scared that one of them was hurt.

"Health-wise they're fine. They're busy right now with work."

"You said health-wise. You're worried about them on another level," Brandi said, having an idea where this was going. She could tell Stan was uncomfortable talking to her about what she thought it was, but if she was on the right track then she'd be more than willing to have a conversation that Mary and Marshall might shoot them both for later.

"Yes," Stan said, trying to shake his unease about this. "You know what, never mind. I shouldn't be disturbing you."

"Is this about Mary's feelings for Marshall?" Brandi asked, not wanting to end the conversation.

"Are they there?" Stan asked.

"Yes, but she's scared. You know how many walls she built up to protect herself. Look I'm not sure what they're doing, but I do know Mary was jealous as hell of the hostess that was hitting on Marshall the other night."

Stan felt hope for the first time. Mary didn't share Marshall well with others to begin with but with an outward sign like the wedding ring she was currently wearing stated he was Mary wouldn't respond well. It sounds like that happened.

"Mr. McQueen, I think Mary is starting to realize she has feelings for Marshall, but unless he states it to her first she won't make a move. He's too special to her to lose."

"Marshall won't make a move for fear she'll run from him."

"You're trying to figure out how to get two scared people to admit how they feel about each other. I think you're going to have to hope fate intervenes. Something would have to happen to make Mary admit freely how she feels about Marshall. I can keep giving her hints if she calls me, but Mary does things in her own way and time."

"I'm not sure time is on our side."

"Has she broken Marshall?"

"I think he's given up hope."

"I don't suppose telling him to be patient will work?" Brandi asked hopefully.

"He's been patient for a long time. Thanks Brandi."

Stan stared at the phone again. A pit in his stomach was forming at the thought of losing Marshall. If things didn't change or Marshall finally gave up on Mary he would more than likely transfer. Stan said a prayer for something to bring the two to their senses.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary and Marshall arrived back at the hotel after spending several hours walking around the gardens, sitting by a water fountain and enjoying the multitude of statues. They snapped photos of the areas they could easily lose themselves in a crowd. Marshall scanned everywhere they went for any of the people he recalled from the photos of the known associates of Lambert and Durand. They also took photos of the hotel before they left, trying to get as many photos of people coming in and out to run through the databases. They had also kept an eye out to see if any one appeared to be watching them. While they were out they stopped by a magazine kiosk to pick up the map Marshall had been wanting.

They entered the lobby walking hand and hand. Mary moved closer to Marshall before releasing his hand and wrapping her arm around his waist. When they reached the elevator Mary brushed her lips against Marshall's as she spoke.

"Is your cell phone in your pocket?"

Marshall nipped at her lower lip before replying.

"No, right side clipped onto my jeans."

Mary felt Marshall's lips capture hers as she moved her hand under his polo shirt and to his jeans. Getting the cell phone out she lowered it enough to take a picture of the man that seemed to be watching them. She wasn't sure if it was out of curiosity or more, but she wasn't taking any chances. Once she was done she replaced the cell phone before breaking the kiss. Mary leaned into Marshall and kissed the side of his neck before moving towards his ear. She was going to tell him about the person watching then when she inhaled the spicy woody scent of the cologne he wore and was distracted.

"Mare," Marshall asked, placing gentle kisses along the hand she had on his shoulder.

"Older man, sitting in the lobby has been watching us since we entered. I don't think he's one of the bad guys but he seems very interested in us." Mary replied, trying to ignore the intoxicating scent.

The elevator chimed its arrival and when they got in Marshall turned to hit the button to their floor and caught a glimpse of the man Mary had been talking about. Backing Mary into the corner of the elevator he captured Mary's lips before kissing a path towards Mary's neck while the elevator door was closing.

"He wasn't in any of the pictures that we were sent last night. The only other thing would be if he was wearing a disguise."

Mary felt warmth spreading through her body as she felt Marshall's kisses followed by his warm breath across her ear as he spoke and that damn smell was turning her into mush. It wasn't his normal cologne because Mary knew it well and that one registered in her mind and body on a normal basis. It was the feeling she tried to ignore and hide from every day, but it was manifesting itself into a force to be reckoned with.

"It's a possibility. We'll run it first before the others and see what we come up with," Mary said trying to think of anything but Marshall at the moment.

Marshall nodded before pulling Mary against him as they waited for their floor. He wanted to keep up appearances in case they were being watched. Mary was surprised at first, but then realized what he was doing. She really needed to get her head back into the task at hand, but the longer she was near Marshall the more she breathed in that scent.

"We go back to the room until tonight and then go for dinner before heading back up to our room," Mary said, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, did you have another idea?" Marshall asked, caught off guard by the question.

Mary always knew the game plan ahead of time and didn't ask to go over it unless she was distracted by something. He figured it had to be the man watching them. They hadn't been here long enough to cause suspicion.

"No, just wanted to make sure you didn't want to do something different to make sure the man didn't follow us."

Marshall ignored the obvious lie for now. He would call her on it later. He didn't get a chance to answer as they arrived at their floor. Entering the room, Marshall pulled the laptop out from its hiding place and powered it up while handing Mary a bunch of the files.

Marshall pulled his cell phone out and loaded the picture of the older man into the system while getting the memory card from the cameras out. He was surprised when he got a hit already in the system. Clicking on the file, Marshall began to read it.

"Mare, I don't think you need to worry about our friend downstairs."

"Why and who is he?"

"His name is Carl Water. He's an eighty-eight year old World War II vet who met his wife here while working as a medic. She was a nurse in the Army. Her name was Helen. This week is their anniversary and it looks like she passed away a couple months ago." Marshall said while clicking on more information. "They were going to come here for their anniversary. The second ticket is in the name of Rachel Water, who was born Rachel Ryan and married Blake Water last year. I'm guessing she came to make sure he was okay."

"That would make sense. Why watch us?"

"We're pretending to be married; that might have made him nostalgic," Marshall said shrugging.

He went back to loading the photos from the camera and once they were done he began running them through the system. Mary was going over the files that he read last night.

"Mare, can I have the map?"

Mary handed him the map and watched as he pulled out a highlighter to mark up a route.

"What route is that for?"

"The alternate airport of choice if we can't use our current one. It's about a forty-five minute drive along A-15. I made a list of the attractions we'd more than likely pull the Williams from and want to mark any and all routes we can use to the two airports. We may have to go on the fly and even if the minivan is loaded with a GPS I doubt we'll have time to program it when we're rushed."

"Is it wise to highlight it on a map? What if someone snoops around the room?"

"Hard as I try, I'm not going to be able to memorize all of the routes. We need the information and the map will be with us at all times. Which ever one of us isn't driving is going to be needed to help with directions. I don't like it any more than you, but what other alternative do we have? We don't know this country like our own. We can't just improvise as easily as we can do in the States."

"I wasn't trying to imply that you were taking an unnecessary risk, okay? I'm off being out of the States. I've gotten used to my walking US road map."

"I know. It's why we're going to be making compromises that we don't normally do to get things done."

"Like relying on the FBI for backup."

"They're not O'Connor, Mary. We can't go irritating them since they are the only backup we have."

"I promise to behave especially for that reason alone. I knew about the added compromises, but didn't think about how many there would be if we find trouble. You're sure that older man isn't anything to worry about?"

"I was going to have Stan run a more detailed report on him and his daughter-in-law, but so far nothing has brought up any red flags or seems out of place. There have been no hits on any of the photos yet, but that will take awhile to run with all the photos we've taken."

"So tomorrow we take an eight hour tourist trap personal tour. That will help us become more familiar with the more known areas. Then tomorrow night is the diner on the yacht."

"We can load up pictures from tomorrow before leaving for the cruise on the yacht. We can come back after that and go over the roads, traffic flow and anything else that captures our eyes."

"The problem with that Marshall is if something doesn't catch our eyes we won't know where the dangers are. This may be a list of known associated but what about those he could hire or those that aren't know? There are still too may unknowns."

"Mary, we need to call Stan. I want a list from the embassy event. We need to know if Thierry was an invited guest, a date, a worker or managed to sneak in somehow."

"If he was a date then we might be able to have the FBI talk to the actual invitee and we can try and trace how that person is connected to Durand or Lambert. Thierry got into that reception somehow."

Marshall grabbed his cell phone.

"McQueen?"

"Hey Stan, Mary and I had an idea about tracking some information on Thierry and how he got into the embassy. We want to find out if Thierry was on the list or if someone brought him into the party. He might have used someone else to get him in. That person could give us an idea who might come after the Williams if they figure it out."

"I can get it for you without a problem, but it sounds like you're thinking someone out of the usual group is involved."

"Depending on their connections, it's possible they know someone witnessed the murder but not who and if the embassy was aware of it that they would have brought in the authorities. If they figure the FBI is involved they would know they have connection to their normal associates."

"That makes sense. I'll get that list to you as soon as possible. Marshall, are we on speaker?"

"No," Marshall replied confused.

"How are you doing?" Stan asked worried.

"Everything is going fine, Stan."

"Marshall, I need to know that you can do this without me having to look for another inspector when this is over."

Marshall indicated to Mary he needed to get something from the bedroom. He noticed the worried look and had a bad feeling he knew why Stan was asking.

"You won't need a new inspector. I wouldn't do that to you and you know that. I might want to use some of my vacation time when I get back to work through some things. When did she call?"

"Mary's worried about you Marshall. You scared her your first night there."

"I was tired and pushing myself and let a few things get to me. It won't happen again. I can do my job Stan."

"I never said you couldn't. I know that you put professional over personal all the time. I just don't want this to do any permanent damage."

"I'm an adult and can handle it. What did you tell her?"

"Nothing. It's not my place to tell her what you should."

"What did you suggest?" Marshall asked knowing Stan had to have said something to Mary's question.

"That she opens her eyes. She might be surprised by what she sees."

"How long before you can get us that list?" Marshall asked stepping back in by Mary.

"A couple of hours. What are the plans for today?"

Marshall told Stan and then said goodbye. He then looked at Mary who was nervously biting her lip.

"You could have come to me without bothering Stan, Mare."

"I tried on the plane. You clammed up and ignored me."

"It's nothing that can be fixed. I told Stan that I'll probably take some time off when we get back to work some things out."

"You're not leaving me are you?" Mary asked, realizing after the words slipped out how desperate that sounded.

"I'm not leaving, Mare. I promised I wouldn't. I just need to come to terms with some things and to do that I need time and space from everyone."

"You can talk to me. We could go together and you can bounce things off of me. You always think better doing that."

"I appreciate the offer Mare. Think of it as how you needed to take time off with what happened after Brandi's cancelled wedding. You needed to sort things out after the emotional roller coaster ride you were on ended. I need to do that sort of thing for me."

Mary nodded in understanding. "I only called because I was worried and thought Stan might have a clue as to what was wrong, so that I could help try and fix it."

Marshall walked over to Mary and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I know I worried you and I appreciate that you care enough to help. Let's get back to the job at hand. We have an early pick up tomorrow."

Mary wished Marshall would just tell her what it was. He was at least acting more like himself, but she was still bothered by the utter sound of defeat in his voice the other day when he looked at the wedding band.

"So Stan is working on the list and we think that they could be going off the normal path to avoid detection. That doesn't give us a lot to work with," Mary said.

"Let's go over the embassy employees and their financial records. If someone is or does give them information then they would be getting something in return. Lambert may have someone on the inside. Let's find out if someone is living beyond their means, anything that could be used for blackmail and anyone with a grudge against Jarrod Winslow."

"Maybe someone is related to Durand or Lambert that works at the embassy."

"Let's start digging," Marshall replied.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan had called Eleanor to see if she could find out some more information on Carl and Rachel Water. He also used a couple other sources also to do even deeper digging. He wasn't taking a chance with Mary and Marshall's or the Williams safety. If Mary and Marshall had been made already, then there would have to be a leak somewhere in the system.

He spent all morning running the information on them and trying to get the list of the embassy guests. Everyone would have needed a security check so Thierry should show up somewhere. Stan also requested the names of any catering services, florists, photographers and news reporters that may have shown up or been used for the reception. It was nearing noon, which meant Mary and Marshall would be heading for dinner. Stan wanted to give them some kind of information before they returned to the hotel. He didn't like the idea of someone not know could be used but it actually made sense.

"Delia," Stan called.

"Yes sir."

"I need you to run a complete family background on Shawn Lambert and Thierry Durand. I don't care if it's a fourth cousin twice removed. I want everything."

"On it," Delia replied, heading back to her desk.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary and Marshall were seated by a window overlooking the gardens. Mary and Marshall were looking over the menu while looking around the room. Marshall reached out to hold Mary's hand while they leaned in so it looked like they were talking intimately.

Mary wanted a nice juicy hamburger or a pizza. This fine dining thing really wasn't her.

"When we get home, we're getting burgers for lunch and pizza for dinner," Mary said.

"That's my girl," Marshall replied, before noticing two couples entering the restaurant together. "Chester and Grace are here with Charles and, I'm assuming, another FBI agent. They'll be passing your view in about fifteen seconds."

Mary smiled at Marshall and watched as the two couples passed. She made sure that they pretended not to know any of them.

"They must have someone watching the kids."

"The hotel offers babysitting on request. Although, I doubt the FBI would allow that unless they have one of their people doing the sitting," Marshall replied.

Mary was about to answer when the waiter came up to them. They placed their orders and continued to watch the room.

"Let's see if any of our patrons take an interest in good old Chester and Grace," Mary said, after the waiter left.

Mary and Marshall ate their meals slowly before ordering dessert while continue to look for anyone acting suspicious towards the Williams. They snapped a few photos of a couple of people with their cell phones. A waiter took a picture of the two of them and they made sure to have themselves facing the dining room instead of the window overlooking the garden before leaving the restaurant. They wanted to get as many people as they could in their photos.

Once the elevator doors closed and they were finally alone Mary looked to Marshall.

"You realize that all of these photos we're taking could be pointless. We're looking for a needle in a haystack until we get more information."

"I know. Hopefully, Stan will have something for us by the time we get back from dinner. We took long enough that he would be back from lunch or eating while researching."

"What time are we getting picked up tomorrow?" Mary asked.

"Our ride arrives at eight thirty in the morning and brings us back around four. We embark on the yacht at seven forty-five and cruise from eight thirty to eleven fifteen."

"With any luck, by the time we get back there will be new information. We're going to have a full day."

"That will seem like nothing compared to the following day. We're doing the museum, dinner at the Eiffel Tower and the Le Cab Club."

"Please tell me the next day is easier. I figured we'd sleep in before doing a little fashion shopping and then out for dinner at the Findi Italian Restaurant."

"At least you'll let me sleep in."

"I have a feeling; you'll be keeping me out until the club closes. Trust me, sleeping in will be a mutual benefit."

The elevator stopped and the two of them entered their room missing the man in the hallway scoping out the hotel floor.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The man continued to look at rooms and observe the people coming and going. Rumor around the embassy was that someone was coming to pick up the witness from the reception. Since the embassy reception only had the wealthy in attendance they had been looking at the five star hotels. From there they had been able to ascertain a list of the hotels people were staying at. The majority were mixed in amongst seven hotels.

The man had seen a couple a few times, but paid no heed to them. They weren't at the reception and according to his connection with the maid service the bed had been put to good use by the pair. The maid mentioned the sheets were damn near off the bed every morning. There was a business man in the suite next to the honeymooners that stood out. Tabs were being kept on anyone who entered his room. There were also a few business men on the floor above this one and another couple that he wasn't sure about two floors above that.

None of the guests from the party that were staying here seemed to be in a hurry to leave. There was a consensus that the people sent to pick up the witness had to stay in another hotel as a distraction. It was a possibility, but not a good exit strategy. If the information was correct then the odds were the people from the government agency would stay close enough to remove the witness at any given moment. For now the list would be prioritized from the most to the least likely to be involved.

With that he slipped into the stairwell and moved to continue the search of floors. Lambert would not be pleased if nothing was found.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary made sure they had coffee and soda before going over the files. It would be a long night if Stan and Delia had found anything out. She booted the computer while Marshall changed into his lounge pants.

"Do you want me to wait for you to change before calling Stan or do you want to join us when you're changed?" Marshall asked.

"Go ahead and call. The sooner we get started, the sooner we can turn in before you get me up early tomorrow."

"Eight thirty is not early, Mare," Marshall laughed as Mary stuck her tongue out at him before heading into the bedroom while he dialed Stan.

"McQueen." 

"Hi, Stan. Mary will be here in a few minutes. I don't think luxury lifestyle is her cup of tea."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"What did you find out?" Marshall asked while opening his email and not seeing anything.

"There was a problem with the fax from the embassy with the guest list. Delia is working on that and will send that along with the information on Carl Water. He's looking pretty clean. We've run into some problems with information on Rachel Water but we're still digging around. Delia is running a list of all known family members of Thierry and Lambert."

"Mary and I are running financials of the embassy employees and trying to see if we can find any information about someone having a grudge against Winslow. We took some more photos while we were at dinner and will run them against the facial recognition."

"Why don't you send that to Delia and me. You two have enough to research as it is. Send the photos over to us encrypted and we'll take care of it from there."

"I knew I loved you, Stan," Mary said entering the room.

"Hi, Mary."

"You realize he's making me get up at an ungodly hour Stan," Mary griped.

"Yes and I also realize that it's being done for your own safety. It wouldn't hurt you to see the early hours once and awhile," Stan replied.

"I take back what I said a few seconds ago. So what do we have?"

"Marshall can fill you in, unless the two of you have anything to add?"

"Not really, Stan" Marshall replied.

"We have more questions then answers and I don't like it, especially if something goes wrong," Mary said.

"Let us do the photo recognition. You two keep getting used to the area. I want you comfortable with where you're going and anything else that can help you, if things go wrong."

"Will do," Mary and Marshall said in unison before hanging up.

"Well, what did I miss?" Mary asked and listened as Marshall filled her in. "You realize we're working with very little information and no clue as to who could be after the Williams. This is not going to make things easy."

"We knew that going in, Mare. That's why we're sightseeing and pretending to be married, it makes us blend in with the others. With any luck, we'll get a break and find something. Stan's right about us having enough to work through. We need to get as familiar with the roads as possible. I'm thinking as some point this week we're going for a drive around the area on our own. We need to go to places most tourists won't. We also should ask for a list of cities or areas that Thierry used to get the women and children he was trafficking. He may have people in those locations that report to him and pay special attention to who is coming or going. We want to avoid those areas as much as possible. I'm sure Paris is one of them but the bigger cities for now give us an advantage."

"So tomorrow we'll get the better known routes out of the way before the dinner cruise which gives us a bird's eye view of things and keeps the cover ruse going. Two days from now when we get to sleep in before going shopping would probably be a good time to do a check on the not so familiar roads and areas surrounding here."

"That would work. The biggest problem is that we know someone has to be out there watching for something to look amiss," Marshall's thought was interrupted by the email that just popped into his inbox. "Let me send Stan and Delia the photos, and then we can start looking through their information."

Mary agreed and grabbed a few of the files off the table while waiting for Marshall. They needed information and they needed it yesterday.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary woke to the sound of the buzzing of the alarm clock and wanted to pitch it across the room. She reached over to hit Marshall on the shoulder so he'd shut the blasted contraption off. When she hit nothing, but part of the pillow and the mattress she quickly turned over.

"Marshall?" Mary called out, waiting for a reply. When she didn't get one she quickly tossed the bed covers back and got out of bed.

Mary quickly moved into the living room to find it empty. Swearing under her breath she quickly grabbed some clothes from the closet and took the fastest shower of her life. She didn't think the maid service would come in while she was gone, but decided not to take any chances. She messed the bed up and threw her intimates around the room before quickly putting her shoes on and grabbing the room key. /\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall had woken to Mary sound asleep curled into his side. Not wanting to wake her he got up showered and got dressed and headed downstairs to the lobby. He figured he would have enough time to have a cup of coffee and read a paper. Taking a seat he began to read the paper when he was interrupted.

"Excuse me, would you mind if I take that seat next to you or is it already spoken for?"

Marshall looked up in surprise to see Carl Water pointing to the empty seat.

"Please help yourself to the seat," Marshall replied. "Would you like a coffee or anything?"

"No, but thank you for offering. I'm waiting for my daughter-in-law to come down. We're going to Omaha Beach."

"Did you serve?" Marshall asked, knowing the answer.

"My platoon entered via Omaha Beach. I was treating some of the wounded from there and met my late wife Helen when I brought some soldiers into the makeshift hospital that was set up. I saw you and your wife the other day. Newlyweds?"

"Yes, we are. She was exhausted this morning, so I thought I'd let her get a little extra sleep before our city tour. Since I couldn't go back to sleep, I came down here."

Carl saw the blonde enter the hotel lobby looking around for her missing spouse.

"Son, I hope you left her a note because she looks none to happy about waking up alone," Carl said, pointing at the woman, walking towards them.

"She just hasn't had her morning coffee. She'll get over it with enough caffeine."

"You've been together for awhile."

"Eleven years."

"Marshall…." Mary started before getting cut off by Marshall's lips pressing against hers.

"Cup of coffee coming up, Mare." Marshall said, before turning to make introductions. "I'm sorry I didn't get your name."

"Carl Water."

"Mr. Water, this is my wife Mary and I'm Marshall Miller."

"Please, just call me Carl."

"Well Carl, if you'll excuse me a moment I need to get a coffee. Would you care for one?"

"No, but thank you," Carl replied.

Mary's eyes followed Marshall across the room. She noticed a few of the women in the lobby looking him over as the woman serving coffee flirted with him.

Carl couldn't help but smile as he watched Mary's face as the other women in the lobby took a good look at the young man he just met.

"I wouldn't worry about those other women, dear. He only has eyes for you as you do for him. It's very nice to see a couple so in love. You two are perfect for each other. It shows in your interactions. You remind me of my late wife Helen and me when we were your age."

"How's that?" Mary asked trying to keep the irritation she felt out of her voice. It was the restaurant in New York all over again.

"Helen didn't like others looking at me like the women are looking at your husband. I always thought it was funny because those women couldn't hold a candle to my Helen or you. Your husband didn't even notice the others looking at him nor is he paying any attention to the waitress who is practically throwing herself at him. It's the same way that you don't notice men look at you. You had your eyes set on one man and one man only and that is your husband. A love like that is strong and pure. A little dose of jealousy, well, can lead to a very wonderful night together," Carl replied, before realizing what he said. "I'm sorry, if I offended you."

"I'm not offended" Mary assured.

Carl smiled as he saw Rachel coming towards him. "I must be going. Rachel and I have a long day ahead of us. Tell your husband it was nice talking to him. You two hang onto each other and cherish every moment you have together. Time goes by fast and all you have left in the end when one is gone are the memories of the most precious gift brought into your life."

"It was nice meeting you," Mary said.

"The pleasure was mine," Carl replied getting up and heading towards Rachel.

Mary watched as they headed out the door. His parting words were running through her head as she wondered what it would be like to be in this world without Marshall. She couldn't fathom it or how hard it must be for Carl to be without his wife.

"Here you go," Marshall said handing Mary her coffee.

"We remind Carl of him and his wife."

"It has to be hard to be together for so long and then to lose the one person in the world that you love," Marshall replied. He tried to ignore the image that came up of Mary on the gurney being wheeled into the E.R.

Mary noticed Marshall shiver and his face turn a little pale as he contemplated something. She gently cupped his cheek.

"Are you okay?"

Marshall nodded before leaning in to kiss Mary's forehead. Moving behind her he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close to him. He needed to feel her safely in his arms after that memory had come back.

Mary wasn't sure why Marshall was seeking comfort, but she knew that's what he was doing. Finishing her coffee she set the cup down on the nearest thing she could reach before resting her arms across Marshall's.

Marshall placed gentle little kisses on her shoulder; her neck and cheek before seeing someone come in through the doors who looked like the person that would be taking them on their tour.

"I think our driver is here," Marshall replied heading over to the man.

Mary watched as the two men talked briefly before Marshall signaled her to come over. They were led out to the car where the man opened the door for them to get in before going around to the driver's seat.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Eight hours later found Mary and Marshall entering their hotel room. Mary now knew why Stan refused to let her drive. She prayed that if anything happened they could avoid the Etoile at the pinnacle of the Champs-Elysées, with its eleven intersecting streets. She hoped if anything did happen they'd be able to use one of the beltways as they would have a hell of a time moving in the traffic jams of the city during rush hour.

Mary waited until they got up to their room before looking at Marshall.

"When it's time to relocate the Williams family we're moving them at an ungodly hour when there's less traffic or in the evening. We aren't even going to attempt rush hour unless it's an absolute necessity."

"The beltways are the best option and I do happen to agree with you on the times. Rush hour would be a nightmare," Marshall replied.

"Do you want to go over some information or rest up for the next couple of hours? Tomorrow is going to be our late night out."

"We can leave whenever we want to go to the museum. Why don't we rest up a bit, and then after the cruise we can go over the latest information."

Mary nodded in agreement. She hated to admit she was tired and wanted to rest, but, hell, even Marshall looked worn out. They had a good day but while it was a city tour by car they did get out and do a lot of walking.

Marshall followed Mary into the bedroom and plopped down next to her. He smiled when ten minutes later he noticed Mary asleep. Marshall rolled to his side and spooned against Mary while loosely wrapping his arm around her waist before falling asleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary woke up to find she Marshall nestled against her. She was actually beginning to enjoy waking up in his arms. She wasn't sure if that was a telling sign or if she had let Brandi get into her head. The fact that he left his arm loosely around her, told her how well he knew her. She didn't like it when other men had done that because she felt trapped and had mentioned it once to her partner. While she appreciated the gesture, Mary had found that when she was being held by Marshall in public or lying at bed there was an added sense of security or maybe a feeling like she belonged. Unsure what to make of her thoughts she glanced at the clock.

"Marshall, wake up!" Mary said, realizing they were going to be late if they didn't hurt.

"What?" Marshall asked groggily.

"We're going to be late if we don't hightail it and we still have to change."

"Bathroom or bedroom?"

"Bathroom," Mary replied grabbing a dress from the closet.

Marshall went and grabbed a suit from the closet. He couldn't believe they'd slept as long as they had. He added a red shirt to his outfit and began to change.

Mary threw her jeans and top off while putting the red open back jersey dress on. She hoped she didn't clash with Marshall. They didn't even attempt to coordinate tonight. There wasn't much time. This dress she actually really liked when she saw it. It had a Bateau neckline; low, draped back with braided chain and rhinestone detail. It was a fitted silhouette with a ruched waist. Giving herself a once over she stepped out to see Marshall dressed in another fitted suit.

"Ready, handsome?" Mary asked appreciating the way Marshall looked and happy they actually coordinated without trying.

"Yep, are you all set?"

Mary grabbed a purse before accepting Marshall's arm as they headed out of the hotel. They were getting picked up by a limo at the yacht. They hadn't used the car much but after seeing the thirteen intersections that came together, Mary preferred to let someone else drive them anyways. She didn't need Marshall getting hurt in a car wreck.

The drive to the yacht was done in silence with Mary resting her head against Marshall as they continued to keep up the charade. As the limo pulled up to the yacht Mary's eyes got huge.

"Wow?" Mary whispered into Marshall's ear.

Marshall didn't get to reply because the limo driver opened the door. He stepped out and reached for Mary's hand. They entered the yacht through the wheelhouse. They were guided to their seats in front of a fireplace and served with champagne while the roof was open.

As the yacht took off they were given the pre-starter to the meal and then the starter course. They were moved to the carving table for the main course, cheese platter and were followed up by dessert. They stayed below deck for another half hour before moving to the deck where Marshall wrapped his arms around Mary and held her close while they watched the lights and historical buildings go by.

Mary leaned back into Marshall. She was gently tracing her fingertips up and down Marshall's arm. It felt really comfortable and she hated to admit the boat, the night sky, the scenery but most of all the feeling of being completely content overwhelmed her. It was a strange yet pleasant feeling. She didn't get to much time to overwhelm her as Piaf's La Vie en Rose began to play.

"May I have this dance Mrs. Miller?"

Mary smiled and turned around. She wrapped her hands around his neck as his hands came around her waist. She gently cupped his cheek before reaching around his neck and pressed her lips against his. She felt Marshall's hands move up to the open back of her dress where they began feather like strokes against her bare skin. Mary deepened the kiss while leaning her body into Marshall's. She didn't know what was turning her on more, the feel of his fingers against her bare back, the scent of his cologne igniting her senses or the feel of his lips responding to her kiss. Maybe it was all of it, but the only thing that registered now, she wanted more. She pressed her body firmly against his.

Marshall loved the feel of Mary's body against hiss. He couldn't help but run his hands over her bare skin before sliding up into her hair holding her in place. He captured her moan in his mouth before continuing to deepen the kiss. Marshall was losing himself in the moment until he heard the clink of glasses and realized they were not alone. Pulling away from Mary he leaned in until their foreheads were touching.

"I do believe we should be leaving this to a PG tour of the Seine River and we haven't danced yet," Marshall whispered breathlessly into her ear.

"You're no fun," Mary teased before wrapping her arms around his waist and settling her head against his shoulder as they swayed back and forth to the music.

Marshall couldn't help but think he was a fool. He knew this was an act and yet every kiss and action by Mary sparked another ray of hope that maybe there were feelings hidden underneath. He knew he should try to think of it as a job, but he couldn't. She fit perfectly to him and he was enjoying being able to hold her, kiss her and cuddle with her. Most of this he had only imagined in his dreams and never once had he thought he'd get the chance to taste Mary's lips. He was the Titanic and would definitely be struggling to stay afloat when this was over, but the harder he tried to remind himself that it was pretend they kissed again and he was lost to the feelings that haunted him most of their partnership.

Mary was struggling with the feelings and thoughts that kept running through her head. The stronger attraction to Marshall had her baffled. She honestly felt at home in his arms, safe and secure. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced since she was seven years old. A part of her was trying to deny that, attributing it to her not having been with anyone in awhile. She hadn't been with anyone since Mark. That had been a gigantic mistake and the proof was buried in a cemetery in Albuquerque. Brandi's words were still playing out in a corner of her mind that Marshall usually occupied.

Mary nuzzled her face closer to Marshall's neck where she enjoyed the intoxicating smell of his cologne. She tried to drown out all thoughts and enjoy the feeling of being held close. She felt cherished. She would let nothing ruin that. She felt a rush of desire surge through her body as she wondered how those hands would feel running over her bare skin. If his passionate kisses were any indication of his skills in the bedroom then he'd be one hell of a ride. The problem was even if tempted to find out the answer to that question it would irrevocably damage them. Marshall wasn't the one night stand kind of a guy. The contact of his hand with the bare skin her dress revealed had her gasp in surprise from the shiver it sent through her body.

"Are you okay?" Marshall asked, hearing the sharp intake of breath from Mary.

"A little cold," Mary replied grateful for the cool night air to give her an excuse.

Marshall stepped back from Mary and undid his suit coat. Holding it out he gestured for her to slip her arms into it.

"Thank you, honey. Let's enjoy the view for awhile," Mary said leading Marshall to the chairs on the deck.

Flutes of champagne were brought out to them as they sat back and enjoyed the rest of the ride.


	4. Chapter 4

The man entered the suite once the occupant had left. Making sure that no one was around he used the key to get into the room. At first glance everything was in place. Nothing stood out. He carefully looked through the closet before moving to the in-room safe. Using the key he had obtained he opened the safe and found some of the information he was looking for.

While looking through the files the figure pulled out a cell phone and hit speed dial one.

"Who is this?" the gruff voice asked.

"Mr. Lambert, it's Abram."

"Have you found the witness?"

"No sir, but I did find a FBI file on known associates of yours" Abram replied, while rearranging the room so it looked the same.

"What about the names of the people coming for the witness?"

"No, Mr. Lambert. There isn't anything in this room so far other than the file I just told you about."

"Is your wife still working undercover as a maid?"

"Yes."

"Have her get the names of the people in the rooms on that floor. Either our witness is there, or the marshals moving him or her. There's also a possibility that the information is being used to cause a diversion. I doubt they'd put them all in the same hotel, but who knows. The Marshals Service is very good at relocating witnesses; we need to find ours before they take custody. My connections don't have any information about the marshals who will be handling the move. Just that the D.O.J. is sending them over. Zoya needs to get that information for me. I want to use our resources to find out if any of these people on this floor are the marshals and the background of the agent that is in that suite. When does Zoya start her shift?"

"Zoya is off tomorrow, but volunteered to come in if she was needed. She can't show up unless they call her without looking suspicious. She has the turn down service shift the following night."

"Have any of the embassy guests left unexpectedly?"

"No, so far all have stayed on their scheduled plans. The only exception was the Nicholson family. They rescheduled their outing to Disney because one of their children was sick. Palo checked it out and confirmed that the child was indeed sick. Maid service was called in several times to their room throughout the day. They are at the Hotel Plaza Athenee."

"Any of the embassy workers put in for a sudden relocation?"

"No, Mr. Lambert. Whoever witnessed the murder is being kept under wraps."

"If we come up blank on the name checks from the various hotels, I want you to pay a visit to the agent in that suite and make him give us the information that we need."

"Yes, Mr. Lambert. Zoya is going to pass the list to Cheryl Raan and I'll send it to you when I receive it from her."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary and Marshall strolled into the hotel lobby walking hand and hand. Mary had actually enjoyed the boat ride and listening to Marshall telling her the history of some of the famous sites of Paris.

"You liked the yacht tour," Marshall said seeing the smile on Mary's face.

Mary had been about to answer him when the door opened and Marshall placed his hand on her back. The gentle touch sent a warming shiver through her body. She didn't know why now it felt so much more intimate then in the past when he had done the same gesture. She was trying to decide if it was the alcohol, the kissing, pretending to be married, Brandi and Marshall's words both past and present taking over her brain, if it had been too long since she'd been with anyone or if what she was thinking she was feeling was really true. She knew the answer was there, but she still wasn't ready to admit it to herself and wanted confirmation. This was her best friend and the best person to ever enter her life. A part of her briefly wondered if they'd just have sex could she get it out of her system. That thought didn't stay long because sex would change everything and she would either gain the most precious gift in this life or completely and utterly destroy them once and for all.

"Mare, are you still with me?" Marshall asked concerned.

"Where else would I be, Doofus?"

"I don't know. You tell me. I was trying to get your attention but you were zoned."

"The answer is yes and I was thinking about tomorrow. So we're in the museum for a couple of hours and then what?"

Marshall rolled his eyes. He was starting to think Stan was right about Mary not paying attention to things.

"It won't be a couple of hours. It's an all day trip and we won't even make a dent in what there is to see."

"You're joking right?"

"No I'm not. According to .com if one was to walk through the Louvre and spend 4 seconds gazing at each object, it would take you three months to get through the whole museum."

"You remembered that fact why?"

"It was interesting."

"You are so staying out all night tomorrow."

"Well tonight we have work to do. I don't see why I have to be tortured if you have something against broadening your horizons."

"We'll see whose horizons get broadened by the time we're done at the nightclub."

Marshall was about to reply to Mary's statement when he saw a man exiting Mark Winston's room. He went to reach for his cell phone when he realized it was in his blazer that he draped over Mary's shoulders after she shivered in the elevator.

Grabbing Mary he crushed his mouth down on hers as he moved his hands to try and find the cell phone. Finally getting what he wanted he pulled the camera out far enough to take the photo and snapped the picture off before letting it slide back in and moving his hands to capture her face as he backed her against the wall.

Mary had been shocked by the sudden attack on her mouth and even more surprised when she felt the wall behind her. She was vaguely aware of Marshall's hands moving around her sides before bumping against the wall. Mary was about to wrap her hands around Marshall's neck to hold him in place until her mouth was thoroughly ravaged by his when his hands cupped her face and a small click registered in her brain.

Marshall pulled back from Mary breaking the passionate kiss and moved his lips near Mary's ears.

"Winston had company," Marshall whispered breathlessly.

Mary heard the words, but had to fight through the desire flowing through every vein in her body to register what Marshall had said.

"Maid service?" Mary asked, while trying to get her body under control.

"It's too late for the turn down service. We need to run the photo through the system. I'm hoping I got a good enough shot of the man."

"Maybe it was room service," Mary suggested.

"Nope, he wasn't in uniform, but was dressed to look like he fit in. I'd guess a person on the wrong floor, but he used the stairwell instead of the elevator."

"Let's get in the room, call Stan and have them run the photo. We might want to have them get ready to move. The plane will need to be on standby in case we need an alternate route."

They headed into their room with a new sense of urgency. Too many things could fall apart if anything were found in that room that indicated who the Williams or they were.

Mary grabbed her cell phone once the door was locked as Marshall booted up his computer and began to load the photo up so that they could run it.

"McQueen."

"We might have a problem," Mary said switching the phone to speaker and sitting next to Marshall.

"What kind of a problem?" Stan asked.

Mary explained about the man in the hallway that had come out of Winston's room.

"I'm sending you the encrypted file now with the photo. I'm running it on the facial recognition programs as we speak. Stan if they had any files in that room, things could get ugly fast," Marshall said.

"The question is how did he get in the room, what if anything did he find and more importantly, if he got in that room what's to say he hasn't been in ours. We've been hiding everything when we go out," Mary added.

"I'll call Charles and find out what information if any they have in the room. Mary's right though if he got into the room he might have been given a key by someone here. We're going to have to hide our stuff better than we are now," Marshall replied as he grabbed his phone and moved into the bedroom so Mary and Stan could keep talking.

"Marshall is right Stan. The in-room safe could be compromised if someone from the hotel is helping them. We still don't know if any of the guests at the hotel work for Lambert. The lists we're running are huge. Have you or Delia found anything out yet?"

"Delia is working through the list of the guests at the embassy's reception. Thierry wasn't the invited guest. He was the guest of a Cheryl Raan. We're running a background on her right now."

"We'll I've got some good news. According to Charles, the only information they're keeping in the hotel room is a file with the list of known associates for Shawn Lambert. It will draw attention to Winston but if they're staking out the other five star hotels that the reception guests are staying at, they'd find that in each of the rooms. No one would know who the decoy is or who the real deal is," Marshall said walking back into the room.

"So your cover is still intact. Let's keep with the original game plan unless we get a red flag. If they have connections they'll run the names of the guests in the hotel. We have the two of your backgrounds covered if they run a check on you. It will also send us a warning and you will immediately leave Paris with the Williams. I'm assuming Marshall that you've told the FBI to be ready to move at a moments notice. Are they ready for that?" Stan asked.

"Yes, I told them to not deviate from their plans unless absolutely necessary. At all times they are to be ready to go, but they've been prepared for that since we arrived. They have been advised not to tell the Williams as we don't want them spooked" Marshall replied.

"What's your agenda for tomorrow?" Stan asked.

"Louvre Museum all day, Eiffel Tower dinner and Mary's forcing me to go to a club. I'm thinking we are going to have to skip the club in case something happens," Marshall replied hopefully.

"There's no way that they will have that information on the two of you that quickly. We've basically removed the two of you from all databases with your real names and put you in as the Millers. If I think something is going to go south I'll call you before your eight o'clock supper. If you don't hear from me enjoy the night out. I'm assuming your next day will be a lot less booked," Stan said.

"Sleeping in late with the do not disturb sign on, some more freaking shopping and on the absolute plus side my darling husband found me an Italian restaurant," Mary replied.

"Mary, as much as you hate shopping it's part of the cover and if you're high society then you'd be hitting the Paris fashion stores. Be nice to your partner he's going to the club and trust me that has to be far more torturous for him," Stan said.

"You're honestly taking his side. How much have I had to suffer on this trip? I hate touristy things, minus the boat ride. We could do that again and I'd be thrilled. History isn't my thing. It's Marshall's thing. He's having the time of his life."

"Marshall, keep her in line. I'll let you know what we get on our end on this picture."

"Thanks, Stan." Mary and Marshall said before hanging up.

"You know that I'm trying to pick things that you might enjoy," Marshall said looking at Mary.

He was a little offended at her comment for some reason. Maybe it was just the fact he was worried things would go south before they were remotely comfortable with their way around Paris. Marshall wasn't sure they could accomplish that in the short time they were here anyways.

Mary saw the hurt flash through Marshall's eyes as he spoke.

"I know you're trying and honestly I've been enjoying myself. Not so sure about the whole art thing tomorrow though. Stan doesn't need to get the idea of using us like this and sending us to some place that I couldn't even fathom having a good time" Mary replied.

"We need to figure out those routes and really go over the maps while the facial recognition is running."

"Don't do that, Marshall. Don't change the subject. I know that you aren't trying to make me miserable. If you were, we'd be going on some history thing every day. I was just being me to Stan. I wasn't trying to offend you."

Marshall could tell she was being sincere.

"I know this isn't your thing, trust me I know it. I can't help it that we have to play tourists and the reason we're going to the club is because it's something you will enjoy. Now we really do need to figure things out or we could end up in a world of hurt."

Mary checked Marshall's face for any sign of a lie. Not seeing one she nodded and they began to pour over the maps.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary waited until Marshall fell asleep before easing herself out of his arms and covering him up so he didn't miss the warmth of her body. Grabbing her cell phone she slipped into the living room to call Brandi since she couldn't come up with anyone better to talk to about what she needed to go over with someone. Jinx would be useless, she wasn't sure if Eleanor would give her an honest answer or think she was up to no good, she wasn't comfortable talking to Stan about her sudden attraction to her partner and the only person that left was Brandi. She was confused and the person she would normally go to she couldn't ask since he was the center of the problem. That meant she was out of options so sucking it up she dialed Brandi's number.

"Hi Mary, I thought you were working," Brandi said.

"I am. How did you know you were in love with Peter, how did you decide it wouldn't work out and do you think you two can ever be friends again?"

"Is this related to your jealousy issues of Marshall getting hit on and where is he that you feel free to ask me about this?"

"Why does that matter?"

"I want to know. Plus if you hang up on me I'll know why."

"Marshall is sleeping. He shouldn't be up until later this morning," Mary replied, realizing what she just let slip out.

Brandi was about to reply when she put things together. There was no way they were in the US. She may not be the brightest bulb on the block but she did know the time zone differences and none of them would put anyone at morning.

"You're out of the country. Where are you?" Brandi asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"You know that I can't answer that. Now would you please answer my questions so I can get back to sleep?"

Brandi knew better then to push the issue with Mary on location while she was working.

"You don't ask easy questions. Do you want to know how I knew it was love or how what being in love is about?"

"Brandi, just answer the question," Mary said frustrated.

"To me love is a when you care about the other person more than you care about yourself. When their happiness means more to you than your own or anything else in the world. It's then you're happy to make sacrifices to make your boyfriend happy. It's putting their needs in front of your own. There is nothing in this world that you wouldn't do for them. When you can't picture the rest of your life without that person. All that combined is what being in love is. You compromise and work together to make sure that things work out. Why I broke it off with Peter is that I wasn't ready and the pressure was getting to me. There will be some pressure with trying to make sure things are set up the way you want them to be, but I was feeling pressure about who I was and if I was good enough. I felt all the things I just defined but the putting his needs before my own. I've grown as a person but there are still things that I want to do for me and I think I put a blindfold on. I didn't see the missing piece of the puzzle. I don't know if we can be friends again. Peter trusted me and I not only broke his heart, I walked away and left him standing in front of his family and friends waiting for me to walk down the aisle. I've grown up a lot since coming to New Mexico, but I still have more to do before I can settle down and be married. Think about you and Chico. Why didn't you stop him from walking out the door?"

"I didn't love him enough," Mary said softly.

"Be honest with me, Mary. Why didn't you love him enough and what has you asking these questions?"

"Raph didn't accept me for who I was. He was always trying to fit me into his perfect wife mold. He had an image conjured up and that would never be me. I was okay with our time spent together, but never went out of my way to put his needs first. My job always came first."

"Your job and Marshall always came first. I think deep down Raph started to realize that he would always be at the minimum in third place. That's not love. Why are you asking these questions?"

"Things are getting complicated with Marshall. I don't know if it's me being lonely since it's been awhile or a whole combination of things. I mean he's looking hotter than hell lately, his scent is intoxicating, his lips are pure heaven and his kisses make me weak in the knees," Mary said, closing her eyes as she realized her second slip up. God she needed to have slept before having this conversation.

"Spill on the lips and kisses. I thought you were working."

"We are and I'm not saying anything. If Marshall wakes up and finds himself alone in bed he's going to worry," Mary replied, and then smacked herself in the head. She sure as hell was being stupid tonight.

"You're kissing and sharing a bed with Marshall. What kind of job did your boss send you on?"

"I can't talk about my job."

"Mary, you're somewhere not in the US while sharing a bed and making out with Marshall. Oh, are your undercover as a married couple. I've read that in books."

"Goodnight Squish."

Mary cursed herself silently as she quietly entered the bedroom and slipped into the bed. She was just getting comfortable snuggling up to Marshall when she noticed his eyes were open.

"Brandi okay?"

"How did you know?"

"I woke up and you weren't in bed or the bathroom. I was going to see if you were okay when I heard you say Brandi's name. I didn't want to disturb you so I went back to bed."

"Brandi is fine. Just needed some girl talk. We should get back to sleep."

Mary felt Marshall nod before settling in and falling asleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary stretched as she woke up and her arm hit nothing, but mattress before she registered the sound of the shower running. Sitting up she moaned before wiping her eyes. She honestly hadn't had a chance to think about her and Brandi's conversation and she didn't even want to think about the fallout from her stupidity. She now knew not to talk to her sister when she was overly tired. It had never occurred to her because she usually talked to Marshall and she didn't have to be careful with what she said. Brandi was never going to let it go and the fact she put two and two together didn't help. She hoped her sister was smart enough not to tell her mother.

Getting out of bed, Mary picked a casual outfit for today. She knew they'd be back to change twice tonight. The dress she was wearing to the club wouldn't be worn for dinner. The thought of dinner set her stomach growling. Going out to the living room she grabbed the menu and checked to see what she could order for breakfast.

When she looked at the menu she realized why Marshall had talked in French the first night. She hadn't seen the English translation on the side. Dialing she ordered them scrambled eggs, bacon and coffee. Moving back into the room she heard the door open.

"Morning Sunshine" Marshall greeted.

"Morning Doofus. I ordered breakfast for us."

"Thanks, I'm going to check if we had any updates from Stan."

"How are we getting to the museum?"

"I'm driving. I figured we can hide the marked up maps and get me more used to driving in the traffic in case we get into a situation."

"Makes sense. It will give us both a chance to get a feel for what we need to look for. Let me get into the shower before breakfast arrives."

"I'll be in the living room," Marshall said grabbing a blanket.

"I thought you said it would take all day to go through the museum. I don't think you have time for a nap."

"No but when the food comes I don't think it would be a good idea for room service to see the laptop."

Mary nodded and went into the bathroom.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall opened the laptop and had an email from Stan. Opening the email up he began to read through it carefully. He didn't want to call Stan since it was about midnight at home. There was also information from Delia. Marshall was about to open that one when he heard a knock. Unplugging the laptop he quickly put it all under the blanket before answering the door.

The man from room service pushed the cart into the room. Marshall watched his movements to see if he was checking out the place.

"Not noticing anything, Marshall said, "Merci" Before the man left the room, Mary entered.

"Good timing," Mary said looking at the food.

"You go ahead and start. I want to check the email from Delia."

"What did Stan have to say?" Mary asked moving the food to the table so Marshall could eat and work.

"They got a hit on the photo late last night. The man was identified as Abram Smirnov. They're looking into his background, but didn't get to finish because there was a couple of situations with witnesses yesterday."

"What witnesses?"

"Stan didn't say. He's not going to tell us either until we get home. He won't want us worried about things there while we have an unknown situation here."

"Eat your food before it gets cold," Mary chastised. "We're not going to be able to see the entire museum anyways. I'm sure there are things you want to see and we'll move around so we see them."

"Yes, dear."

"Sarcasm is not very flattering on you."

Marshall shrugged and grabbed a piece of bacon while opening the email from Delia.

Mary was leaning over his shoulder trying to see what Delia sent.

"Thierry Durand was not listed as an invitee or as a guest of an invitee. They're still working on the list of companies that were used for the event. If that comes up blank how the hell did Thierry get into the reception?"

"According to this there were no unusual deposits into any of the embassy employees. None of them appear to have had any issues with Winslow. Winslow was the only one with any extra deposits, but his bank account balance was extremely low. He probably owed people money and sold the visas in order to get them."

"Can they run a list of who he sold visas to and find out if they're legit of not?"

"I'll send an email to ask Stan to look into it."

Mary was done with her breakfast and Marshall had barely made a dent in his. Noting this she took the laptop away from him.

"Hey," Marshall said.

"Finish your breakfast, while I'll send the email and research anything you want. You need your nutrition as I intend on keeping you out all night, if Stan doesn't ruin it."

"Yes, Mom."

"I'll Mom you if you're not careful," Mary huffed while sending the email.

Marshall began eating his food while Mary typed. He was about to swallow when a thought occurred to him. Swallowing quickly, he grabbed Mary's hand before she hit send.

"What?" Mary asked irritably.

"If you're Thierry, would you use your real name if you were going to a reception at the U.S. Embassy?"

"No, I'd use an alias. If I didn't it would raise a bunch of red flags. Good thinking," Mary replied, before adding the information and hitting send.

"Are you ready to go?" Marshall asked.

"Where are we going to hide this?"

"You know that huge purse they had you buy?"

"I am not lugging that thing around everywhere."

"No you're not. You're going to hide the files and the laptop in them and we'll lock them in the trunk along with the maps. I've already set up a security system on the laptop and I'll activate it," Marshall said taking the laptop back from Mary.

"Marshall, how secure is it to leave the information in the car? The laptop we can secure, but the files we can't."

"Currently they're safer in the car than they are in this room. If we keep them in here we compromise our identities and put our witnesses in need of new marshals. If that happens how secure do you think they'll be? If someone breaks into the car they're not going to be looking at paperwork or maps. They'll grab the laptop. I was thinking the minivan, but we don't know if someone has seen it sitting there or saw them drop it off."

"Good point. I wish we knew how much was compromised. How safe do you think Winston is?"

"At least he's aware of someone snooping around in his room."

"I'll grab the tank and we can load it up."

Marshall smiled he knew Mary hated purses. She preferred her bad she usually carries. It's easily left at the office and grabbed before going home.

"We should have the room checked for video or bugs."

"I don't think they would risk it until they knew for sure if we were involved. If someone finds that in their room on accident the publicity that it would cause the hotel would work against Lambert's crew."

"Let's go to the museum."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Abram wandered through the hotels stairwell waiting to meet up with Cheryl. He wanted to let her know the latest developments. Zoya had already been informed about needing to get the list when she came in tomorrow. Cheryl had a fax in her room and would send the information to him at his hotel. Lambert wanted them to both note anyone that they saw them talking too.

The door opened and Abram moved out of sight, but where he could see the person entering.

"Cheryl," he said.

"Make it quick. I have to get back to the room."

"Zoya will put the list of names for who is staying on the floor the files were found on. I need you to fax that to me at the normal number. Have you met a Mark Winston yet?"

"Yes, I ran into him in the elevator the day he arrived."

"What day did he arrive?"

"Four days ago. Is he one of the people moving the witness?"

"We're not sure. We want to run the names to see if we can determine if the witness or the marshals are here. If they aren't then he's a decoy and will be talked to."

"How's Thierry?"

"Lambert didn't say. The only thing I know is that they need to get rid of the witness before both are removed from France."

"I'll get you that list as soon as it arrives," Cheryl replied before the two headed their separate ways.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan came into the office early. He wasn't happy that they had to leave in the middle of investigating the information for Marshall and Mary. He didn't like that they were in a foreign country without him or any other marshals to back them up. He knew they had the FBI, but if something happened and they had to change plans on a dime it would require the FBI to have to play catch up to get to them.

Sitting down at his desk he opened his email and saw the one from Marshall. He knew he would have to contact his friend in the State Department to see if the tracking was possible. The second question was a good one. Knowing his favorite FBI contact was in the office he dialed her.

"Prince."

"Eleanor, this is Stan. I need to know if you can do me a favor for the wayward children."

"Are they okay?"

"Yes, but they had a valid point. We were looking to see if Thierry had any other aliases that he used. The dynamic duo thinks that he could have come in under a different name. He has the contacts to do so. Can you provide me a list of those aliases?"

"I'll run it and get that over to you as soon as possible. Send the list of the people that attended to Marshall. He might see or think of that you aren't. His useless trivia, as Mary likes to call it, isn't so useless. By the way, how is Marshall doing?"

"As well as can be expected under the circumstances. He's already mentioned taking some time off when they get back. I want them back before anything damaging can happen physically or emotionally."

"You're worried Mary will break Marshall's heart yet again."

"I don't know how much more Marshall can take and keep coming back. He lost Abigail because he couldn't let Mary go. I still think it was the best for him that they split up. Abigail needed to mature more before she would even begin to be able to settle down with Marshall. Her jealousy of Mary and her suspicious nature made Marshall's life hell."

"If Marshall needs to talk to someone other than you or his Mom, tell him he can call me. Make something up that isn't associated with this conversation. I don't want him thinking he can't trust you."

"I'm not sure I did the right thing by sending him."

"Marshall is the only one Mary could pull off being married to. She cares enough about him to do that. She wouldn't have trusted anyone else the same way. I doubt there is anyone else out there who has the patience that Marshall does. Who knows maybe this will open Mary's eyes. I think the feelings are there but she frightened of them. If she loses Marshall then she loses her lifeline."

"I never thought I'd be trying to play matchmaker for any of my inspectors."

"They aren't just any inspectors. They're your surrogate children and you want them to be happy. The only time they're truly happy is when they're together. With any luck fate will intervene."

"Thanks Eleanor. Let me know what you find out."

Stan hung up and rubbed his hand over his bald spot. He thought he worried enough when they were in another state. With them in France, he'd be lucky he didn't get heartburn and an ulcer before they got back.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall and Mary walked into their hotel for the second time that day. The museum had gone fairly well. Mary had behaved and let Marshall wander to see the things he was interested in. They returned to change for dinner at the Eiffel Tower and now it was time to call Stan before changing again to go out to the Le Cab Club.

"Do you want to change first and I'll call Stan or vice versa?" Marshall asked.

"I'll change and you call" Mary replied heading into the bedroom and pulling out the dress for tonight.

Marshall heard the door closed and called.

"McQueen."

"Hey Stan. Mary and I wanted to check in quickly before we head out to the club. She had every intention of keeping me there until six in the morning."

"I take it Mary isn't in the room."

"Would I have made that comment otherwise? She behaved at the museum, so it's my turn to suck it up. Are we continuing as planned?"

"So far no one has tried to access any information on the Millers. The second some one does the charade ends and you leave. I don't want you checking out of the hotel either. I'll have someone from the FBI do it after you leave. I want whoever is after the Williams to think they're still there. My friend from the State Department is trying to check on the visas issued within the last few months by Winslow before he was killed. Eleanor sent me a list of Thierry's aliases. They didn't show up on the guest or invitee information. I'm sending a copy of both to you. Maybe you can see something we aren't. Thierry also didn't show up on any of the people catering the reception. Delia is still working on the information for Rachel Water. Carl's son Blake is arriving on a flight to Paris tonight. The father and son check out clean. Rachel and Blake have been married for a little over a year but other then that we're still running her background. The FBI is looking for Abram as we speak."

"Can you arrange another minivan for us? I want to make sure the transportation is secure if we need it."

"I'll make sure one gets there. I don't want to use the FBI to get it though. I might have a friend of a friend that can arrange one for you to be at the hotel."

"Sounds good. If you need us for anything text the cell phone. I have a feeling we won't be able to have a conversation at the Club. I'll keep my cell on vibrate."

"Marshall, be careful. I don't like that someone was in Winston's room. Make sure you keep the adjoining doors locked and don't talk to him."

Marshall rolled his eyes. As if having one father wasn't enough.

"Goodbye Stan."

"Bathroom is all yours," Mary said entering the room.

Marshall looked up and found it hard to swallow. Mary was wearing a violet halter dress with a sequined fitted skirt that had a plunging neckline that stopped well above her knees.

"Go get dressed, Marshall. Chop. Chop. We've got to get moving. Time to have fun. You can tell me what Stan said on the way to the club."

Marshall nodded before heading off to change. Mary grabbed the purse and shoved all of the papers and laptop in it before Marshall came out. She heard the door open and looked up. She almost dropped everything on the ground. Marshall was wearing black slacks, a white contrast piped shirt with a black evening jacket over the shirt. If she had seen him in a bar in New Jersey she would have had a one night stand with him. She knew she should be more concerned that she knew what the fashion terms were for the outfit, but she was too busy trying not to drool.

"Is this okay?"

"Perfect. Let's go," Mary said slinging the purse over her shoulder while grabbing Marshall's hand and pulling him towards the door.

If they stayed she was afraid what she would do. Her body was sending her signals she didn't want to hear and the sooner they got to the club the sooner she could burn off some steam. This was not a time to indulge in some of her basic needs.


	5. Chapter 5

They had been at the club for a little over two hours and had yet to leave the dance floor. Mary was impressed by Marshall's dancing skills. She honestly hadn't expected him to be able to dance to the techno music or any of the other music they were playing. For some reason she had always figured that he wouldn't know how. Finally being too hot she signaled to Marshall to return to their table.

"What are we drinking tonight?"

"The hard stuff, I think we've earned it. I'm thinking Whiskey or Brandy."

"Whiskey it is. I'll be back in a few minutes," Marshall replied, heading off to the bar.

Mary watched Marshall briefly as he walked across the room. She enjoyed the view before she lost him in the crowd. It was then that she decided to look around more. Stan's contact had managed to make sure they had been put into the VIP square. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt someone bump into her. She turned around to see a college aged boy.

The boy started speaking in a language Mary had no clue what it was. It wasn't French. She'd heard enough words to know it wasn't.

"I have no clue what you're saying," Mary said, hoping he would leave.

"You're an American."

"Yes, a very happily married one," Mary replied, showing her ring as the boy tried to undress her with his eyes.

"My apologies."

Mary watched the boy move to the next table of girls and try again. The crowd was a wide variety of various ages. A half hour had passed and she had been hit on four times while waiting for Marshall to come back. Wondering where said person was, she noticed the six women surrounding him at the bar.

They were blatantly flirting with him and she knew he was too damn polite to make them go away. Two of the women were getting touchy feely with Marshall and Mary had enough. If anyone would be touching the Mann it would be her and only her. Getting up, she strolled over to rescue her 'husband' from his groupies.

A couple of the women saw her coming over and moved on, not missing the glare she sent them. Others were still flirting with Marshall as Mary moved in and kissed Marshall firmly on the lips.

"Honey, I was getting lonely and wondered where you were. Girls say goodbye to my husband."

Marshall excused them as Mary hooked her arm in his and moved him back towards their table.

"Is something wrong?" Marshall asked, wondering what had just happened.

"You're supposed to be a newlywed. Not talking to a bunch of bimbos that are hanging all over you while trying to get into your wallet and pants."

"They were just asking me some questions," Marshall said.

"Are you really that oblivious to their hitting on you? Didn't you notice the way they kept touching you?"

"Why would they hit on me? I'm the geek in the room full of 'beautiful people'. They wouldn't hit on me compared to a lot of the other men in this room."

"Marshall you scream money and some woman would like that besides you have geeky tendencies, but that doesn't mean you don't look good. There is a huge difference."

"Some of the people in here are locals, some are tourists like us and others are here looking for their next meal ticket or increase in status. It's the same thing you get anywhere you go. Just stick near me Marshall. We don't need anyone that might recognize us and seeing you chatting up anyone but me unless it's another couple," Mary said, trying to ignore the fact that she didn't want him looking at anyone but her.

They had several whiskeys and had been back on the dance floor when Marshall excused himself to use the restroom. Mary watched him go and saw one of the women from earlier making a beeline towards the restroom. She wasn't stupid and knew full well where she was trying to go. Getting up, Mary followed her. Sure enough she found the woman trying to make a move on Marshall. Mary decided to give Marshall the chance to handle it himself. Marshall of course quickly untangled himself from her and finally was able to shut the door.

Mary waited for the woman to come out. She had seen her doing the same thing to a couple of other married men. This woman was your standard gold digger. Mary knew what she was doing. She's seen it too many times. She didn't wait long before the girl came out of the bathroom area and was stopped by Mary.

Mary noticed the deer in headlight look when the woman spotted her. She tried to go around but Mary blocked her path.

"Excuse me," the woman said.

"There's no excuse for what you're trying to do here tonight besides trying to figure out a way to line your pocketbook. I don't appreciate you hitting on my husband or throwing yourself at him. While I know full well he isn't interested in you and is too polite to say anything, that doesn't mean I am. I suggest for the rest of the evening that you keep away from the married men. You want to look for someone to take care of you then you do it with someone who's here alone. If not I can make arrangements to have you removed from the premises. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Mary asked, noting the frightened look in the woman's eyes.

The woman nodded and scurried away.

"I think I have to thank you for that."

Mary turned around at hearing another woman's voice.

"What?"

"That woman was trying to seduce my husband earlier. I was going to give her a piece of my mind but I do believe you did a great job of it."

"Oh, trust me, it was my pleasure."

"I'm Martina Sinclair."

"Mary Miller."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Marshall came out of the bathroom trying to make sure there were no signs of his run in with the woman who tried to jump him on the way in. The last thing he needed was Mary getting the wrong idea as she seemed to be possessive of him tonight.

Heading towards the VIP square he noticed Mary talking to a woman and a man. Seeing that they were smiling and laughing he took it as a good sign. Mary was too relaxed for them to be a threat. He knew she hadn't had enough to drink yet for it to be that.

Marshall's place his hand on Mary's back causing her to look up and smile at him.

"Miss me?" Marshall said.

"Always," Mary replied, pulling his head towards hers for a kiss. She could still see the woman looking there way periodically and if she had to brand Marshall as hers with her lips then so be it.

"So who are your new friends?" Marshall asked as they broke from the kiss.

"This is Martina and Reynold Sinclair. They're on their anniversary here from Boston."

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Marshall."

After they all shook hands and talked for a while Mary rubbed her hands together.

"Well, Martina, since both of our men are here, I do believe that we need to make them aware of the challenge you made and my acceptance on our part and see who wins."

Marshall groaned inwardly at those words. He knew full well what that meant and they'd be paying for it in the morning.

"What's the bet entail?" Reynold asked.

"Mary seems to think they can out drink us in shots of Whiskey. We're each going to order a bottle apiece to start with and if we need more we can get more. We do allow for dancing breaks and whoever cries Uncle first, loses."

"Loses what?" Marshall asked.

"The title of best drinkers of course," Mary said.

"Well hell, we came here to drink and dance. Let's get this contest started. I'll be right back with two bottles," Reynold replied.

"I'll join you," Marshall said. He wanted to make sure these people were on the up and up. The last thing they needed was to get them into trouble.

Mary could tell Marshall wasn't thrilled with the idea, but there was currently nothing they could do but continue playing tourist. She had a feeling these people were legit and they were going to have an even better time tonight than she was already having. They weren't technically on duty as they didn't have the Williams with them. It was one night, how much could it hurt?"

They had been drinking and dancing for another six hours before Mary and Marshall won the competition her and Martina started. Reynold passed out on the table and Martina decided it was time to leave.

"We should probably be leaving also," Marshall slurred.

"One more dance," Mary insisted, while grabbing Marshall's hand and leading him onto the dance floor.

With the alcohol loosening their inhibitions, Mary and Marshall began grinding their bodies to the techno beat. The feel of Marshall grinding into her and the return of the bimbo was more than she could stand. She pulled Marshall to her and began to kiss him hungrily. Not caring anymore she reached for his hand and took him off the dance floor.

"Hotel, now."

"Car's here. Can't drive."

"Taxi. Car later. You most certainly will be driving and even being take for a ride," Mary cautioned before capturing his lips for another searing kiss.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary didn't recall anything about the taxi ride back to the hotel other then Marshall and her kissing, before she knew it, they were kissing with a frenzied need that she had never felt before.

Mary tried to get the key card to go in but it seemed to be fighting her and she didn't have time for that. Marshall's hands had roamed to the tie keeping her halter top up. She felt him get loosen the knot before his fingers traced a line down her spine until he hit the zipper of her skirt while his lips burnt a trail of desire flowing through her entire body as he kissed his way from her cheek down to the hollow of her neck and over to the her bare back.

Finally getting the door to open, Mary pulled Marshall into the room, shoved the do not disturb sign on the outside and pushed Marshall against the door. Her mouth took possession of his lips as her hands ran over his chest and up to his shoulders where she began to slide the evening coat off. Once the interfering garment was out of the way, she yanked his shirt from his pants while making quick work of getting it unbuttoned.

Marshall's hands refused to stay idle as Mary was working on removing his shirt. His hands cupped Mary's face while deepening the kiss before sliding gently to the loosened knot of the halter. His fingers fumbled briefly before getting the knot undone. Lowering the bodice until it hung in front of the skirt, he slid his hands down her neck, over her sides, up to her smooth breasts before his hands gently moved to her hardening nipples.

Mary moaned out loud as she felt Marshall playing with her nipples. Her body was on fire just from the mere intimacy of his touch. She felt his hands briefly leave her breasts as he moved them down so she could get the shirt off. Her hands moved to the button of his slacks and then down to the zipper. Reaching in, she caressed his hardness through his boxers and couldn't help but smile hearing his moan. Her hands yanked his boxers down before she began to run her hand along his length.

Marshall could feel himself hardening even more at Mary's welcomed touch. Knowing full well he was going to need to be inside of her soon he moved his hand down Mary's side and over to her thighs while sliding the lace of her underwear to the side before feeling the wetness of her core as he slid two fingers inside of her. He caught her off guard and was able to switch positions so that Mary was the one with her back to the door.

Mary felt the cry of pleasure escape her lips as Marshall continued to thrust his fingers into her. She couldn't even focus on what she had been doing so she reached over and brought Marshall in for a bruising kiss. She could feel his hardness pressing against her seconds before Marshall picked her up and lowered her onto him.

Mary began to move her hips as soon as Marshall was inside her. She desperately needed to release the pressure building up inside of her with every stroke. Mary arched as much as she could in her current position to get Marshall in as deep as he could go. It was just before she made another attempt to draw him in deeper when Mary heard Marshall's name being called out and begged please.

Marshall continued to grind into Mary and hitting her g-spot now on every stroke. He could feel Mary's speed pick up and thrust stronger and deeper until she shattered around him from the intensity of her release. The cry of his name and the way she clenched around him had Marshall find his release.

Marshall's body collapsed against Mary's and they couldn't move as they both struggled to regain their breath.

"Take me to bed, Marshall." Mary whispered, as Marshall brought her into the bedroom and removed both of their clothing before climbing into bed. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Mary woke with a dry fuzzy taste in her mouth and a hangover from hell. It took a few minutes before she went to move and realized that she was naked, sore in a good way in a places she didn't remember using recently and that there was an aroused naked body pressing into her with their hand cupping her right breast. She looked down and realized she was also naked. Fear of what had happened kept her from turning to see who was wrapped so comfortably around her. She wasn't sure if it was the hangover that was slowing her processing down or the fact that she knew the feel of the hand that was cupping her breast.

Mary tried to remember what happened last night. She remembered the woman hitting on Marshall and following him to the bathroom, the confrontation, drinking challenge with the couple but after that nothing.

The fact that she couldn't remember had her worried. What if they had gone off with separate people? What if she had sex with Marshall? Mary's mind was going into overdrive and not helping her headache. Not ready to face Marshall, if it truly was him and she honestly was hoping that it was because she would have a lot more concerns if it wasn't, she lifted the hand off her breast and was relieved that it was a hand she had known for a long time.

The relief quickly passed and she suddenly didn't know what to say or do. Getting up, she quickly tucked the sheets around Marshall before getting clothes for the day. Heading into the bathroom, she turned on the shower and stepped in. She stood underneath the water for a long time hoping it would clear the fuzziness from her brain. When that didn't happen she got dressed.

Mary heard Marshall snoring softly and moved to the living room. She tried to figure out what to do. She needed time to remember and she wasn't ready to face Marshall just yet. Remembering the SPA she called down to see if by any slim chance in hell they had an opening. Relief flooded through Mary when they had several openings due to a cancelled event. She scheduled herself for a massage and even the dreaded manicure and pedicure they offered at the salon. Granted, her fashion consultant made her get one in New York, this would allow her more time to think and try and figure out what to do.

Mary wrote Marshall a note telling him where she was going and left it in the bathroom so he would see it. She wasn't surprised he was still asleep with all they had to drink. While Marshall could hold it while drinking it seemed to take him longer to sleep it off. Quickly leaving so she didn't wake him she headed to the SPA.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall struggled to wake up. The pounding in his head was telling him that he didn't want to. He should've known better then to agree going to a club with Mary. Heck, he should've stopped them from having a drinking contest with a couple they had just met. The problem was Mary had actually been enjoying herself, and he didn't want to take away the smile that he saw on her face last night. He turned his head to see what kind of shape his partner was in and was surprised to find the bed empty. Mary didn't normally give up on sleeping in. Looking at the clock he saw that it was one in the afternoon.

Marshall sat up and when he felt the sheet slide down, he realized it was touching nothing, but bare skin. Marshall felt his heart rate accelerate as he tried to recall what happened last night. The last coherent thought was getting a taxi. That couldn't be right, they had driven themselves last night because they hadn't wanted to leave the information in the room. Did he bring someone else back to his hotel room? Where was Mary?

Marshall looked for something to cover himself with and found his boxers lying next to the purple halter dress that Mary had worn. The good news was that he had definitely come to the hotel with Mary, but seeing the rest of their clothes strewn across the floor and his former state of undress he had an idea of what happened. He couldn't recall if his assumption was correct. With the amount of alcohol they had consumed last night there was a high probability that they had passed out before doing anything. Not hearing the shower running or any movement in the living room, Marshall grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom. When he looked in the mirror after hanging his outfit up he saw the note on the mirror.

Marshall,

I scheduled myself some time at the SPA. I figured neither of us would be up for shopping after last night. I should be back around four.

Mary

After reading the note, Marshall headed back to the closet and pulled out the track suit he had been allowed to buy. Stepping into the shower, Marshall leaned his head under the water before turning around. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened after leaving the club, but currently nothing was coming to mind. After soaking up some time in the shower, he got dressed.

Walking into the bedroom, he found his pants and searched for the car keys. Not finding them there he moved to the living room where he found the evening jacket thrown haphazardly over a chair. Trying not to think about how it got there he found the keys and headed down to the lobby to get a taxi back to the club. He would bring the car back, get the gear in and then head to the fitness center. Working out always seemed to help clear his thoughts.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary had been in the SPA for awhile now. She was moving from the body scrub to the massage. Lying on the table, she was focused on nothing but relaxing until the masseuse began the back massage it was as she began to move their hands over Mary's back that she started to remember last night. She felt her body heating up and it wasn't because of the masseuse's warm hands.

As the memories flooded Mary's mind she couldn't believe how many times they had sex last night when they were both wasted. She recalled the pure ecstasy the first time they were together and was surprised she didn't have a bruise on her back from banging into the door. Marshall would probably be having a fit about taking her against the door instead of on or in the bed. Although they had done it there several times last night also. They had apparently taken turns with who was on top.

She felt a blush creep up her face as she recalled some of their most intimate moments and that she had started them down this path. Her words coming back to her about Marshall driving and it wasn't the car she had referred to.

It was then she wondered how on earth she was going to look Marshall in the face ever again. Did she destroy their partnership? Could she only be his partner after last night? As she remembered and put the pieces together she knew that he had been the best she ever had. Could she forget the feel of his hands on her body or the moans of pleasure that had slipped out of his lips? Better yet did she want to forget? She was so confused right now she didn't have a clue what to think. There was no way she was calling Brandi on this one. She would have to work it out and soon. Looking at the clock she knew the massage would only last another half hour and then it would be another one to two hours with the pedicure and manicure.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Zoya Smirnov had been called to work the morning and turn down shift. It was perfect for what they needed. She had waited until her boss went to take care of a problem before finding the list of rooms, names and special requirements for the floor that Abram told her to get. Quickly using a copier she folded the sheet and hid it in her pocket.

After leaving the office, she went to the floor Cheryl was staying at. She moved her cart and supplies in front of the door. Entering she made towards the room Cheryl has been in and was about to slip the list of names under the pillow when the door to the bathroom opened up and a man entered.

Zoya made sure to keep the slip of paper hidden.

"Excuse me, sir. I didn't realize anyone was in here."

"You sound like my wife. I flew out to surprise her. Please go ahead and do whatever you need to. I'm going down to meet her and my father."

"Thank you, sir. Is there anything you or your wife need for your room?"

"No thank you," the man said, leaving the room.

Zoya knew she couldn't leave the information under the pillow. Pulling out her cell, she sent a text message to Cheryl to meet her in the stairwell.

Cheryl looked down as her phone vibrated. Seeing the message she quickly came up with an excuse to leave and hustled to the stairwell.

Zoya looked at her angrily.

"Why didn't you tell me you had company? I didn't know if it was safe to leave the information."

"It was a surprise visit. Give me the paper. I'll fax it back and put it on your cart when I'm done. Call Abram and tell him the fax is coming," Cheryl replied before heading out of the stairwell and slipping onto the elevator.

Cheryl entered the room and moved to the fax machine in the suite. Sending the fax out, she smiled.

"Soon, my dear Thierry. Soon we will be together again. This time it will be forever."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall was running on the treadmill in the fitness center. He had put the do not disturb sign out on their room when he dropped the keys to the car off to keep the maid service out even though he had hid the laptop and files away.

Moving over to the elliptical machine, Marshall tried to leave his mind blank. A part of him scared if he remembered what happened he'd lose his best friend. As he got himself into a rhythm he could feel the sweat pouring down his neck. Deciding he had enough, he headed back up to the room to take another shower.

Marshall unzipped the jacket and pulled off his t-shirt. He was about to remove his pants when he noticed the scratch marks on his shoulders. An image conjured up in his mind of Mary seated on the bathroom sink as he pounded inside of her, before moving their activities back into the bedroom, out to the sofa, as they had been looking for something as they apparently decided to test out the piece of furniture, and then back into the bedroom where he assumed they passed out.

He had ravaged his best friend against the door the first time they were together. What the hell kind of man was he? Was Mary ashamed of what they did? Would she run from him or pretend nothing happened? Would she talk to him again? How did he let them mess things up? Yes, he had always wanted Mary, but not under the influence of alcohol. He wanted to make love to her, if they ever got together.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Abram had received the text message from Zoya and waited impatiently for the fax to come in. He had his connection here and waiting to start digging around on the names of the people from the floor the FBI agent was on.

The other good news they received today there was an embassy employee that they had persuaded to help them get the name of the witness, guards, marshals and where they were staying if anyone knew. Both pieces of information were due to come in shortly. He turned as the fax machine started making noise.

Walking over to the fax machine, Abram picked the fax up and looked down at the piece of paper. The rooms were marked with the names of the guests of the hotel.

"Start running these immediately," Abram ordered handing the piece of paper over to his connection.

Now all they needed was the information from the embassy person and a strike team was in place to take out the witness and anyone who got in the way. Cheryl Raan would be notified that her information panned out and to be prepared to follow in case anything went wrong. She was one of their eyes and ears on the ground. He texted a message, letting her know the ball could in play shortly. She would need to loose her husband and his father before heading out.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Cheryl was reading a book when her phone vibrated, Looking down she smiled and typed back her reply that she would be ready. Her husband and father-in-law would be leaving soon to go tour something else.

"Rachel, are you ready to go?" Blake asked walking into the room.

"I'm thinking I might stay here. My stomach is upset and I don't feel too well. It's probably something I ate, so why don't you and your Dad go without me?" Cheryl replied, looking forward to not being called Rachel any more.

"You don't need me to stay?" Blake asked concerned.

"No, I'll probably just go back to bed for awhile. If I feel better then I'll take the car and meet you at the Notre Dame Cathedral."

"Call me if you need anything," Blake said before leaving with his father.

"A divorce and soon. The money was worth it though. Thierry will be pleased when he's freed and we can be back together," Cheryl said to the empty room.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall had finished his workout and opened the laptop to see if there were any new updates. The list from the embassy party was there. Marshall scanned the names and looked for anything that might be familiar.

His eyes kept coming back to two names for some reason. A Cheryl Raan and a Raider Randy Hurt who was her escort. The second name was odd but in these days you never know. Grabbing his cell phone he called Stan.

"McQueen."

"Hi, Stan."

"Marshall, did you get the list?"

"Yes I did. Do we have any photos of Cheryl Raan or Raider Randy Hurt?"

Stan signaled Delia to come in the office and told her what Marshall was looking for. They had finally received the surveillance and media coverage photos from the event.

"Delia is checking right now. How is everything going? Where's Mary?" Stan asked.

"Fine. Mary is at the SPA."

Stan's eyebrow went up at that, but before he could ask Delia pointed to the photos and let Stan know she was sending them to Marshall.

"Delia is sending you two photos of Cheryl Raan but there isn't any of Raider."

Marshall waited for the email to arrive. He was getting antsy and it wasn't just because Mary would come back soon. His instincts were kicking in.

"Stan, did your friend drop the van off at the hotel?" Marshall asked as he got up to see if Mary had her cell phone with her. Searching the bedroom, bathroom and through their sprawled clothes he didn't see it.

"He should be arriving in a few minutes, why?"

"My gut is telling me we might need to use that sooner rather than later. Can you find out where the Williams family is currently?"

"Yes. Anything else you need?" Stan asked starting to feel tension in his body.

Marshall's instincts were born or inherited from his family gene pool. They were sharp and he trusted them as much as he did Marshall.

"Have Delia send a text to Mary's phone to meet your friend and get the keys. She can make it look like she bumped him going to the car. Have the pilots on standby just in case."

"On it," Stan replied as he and Delia quickly did what he asked.

Marshall was anxiously waiting for the file to open. For some reason it was being extra slow.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was just finishing up and trying to figure what else she could do to avoid Marshall just a little longer. She wasn't sure she could face him or talk about what happened. She still hadn't had enough to time to figure out how she felt about it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the vibrating of her phone.

Looking down Mary was surprised to see a message from Delia.

_Meet by car to get keys to van ten min. MMM request. Boss made meet. MMM on call Stan. D_

Mary could feel her adrenaline begin to pick up. If Marshal Marshall Mann wanted the keys to the van then either something was happening or his spidey senses were tingling. Mary hurried out of the SPA and into the parking area.

She was walking to the car when an older man tripped and bumped into her. She felt him slip something into her pocket of her velour jacket. The man moved away from her after apologizing.

Once he was out of sight, Mary continued to walk to the car while putting her hand in her pocket to make sure it was keys she felt. Once that was confirmed she moved to their car and looked into the window to make sure she appeared to be looking for something. She shook her head in disgust and hoped it appeared that she hadn't found what she was looking for before heading back into the hotel and to the elevators. She wanted to know what was happening.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall could hear Stan finishing up the calls when the attachment with the photo finally opened up.

"Stan, run a background check on Cheryl Raan. She's here in the hotel as Rachel Water with her father-in-law."

"Delia is running the background now. The Williams are at the hotel and will be in their room. Winston and Jerome will escort them down to the parking lot if we need to move them. You and Mary will need to get to the van to get your weapons, badges, vests and ammo. The pilot has the jet fueling and can be ready to take off as soon as you arrive or need him to move. What are you thinking?"

Marshall had a pen and a paper out writing down Cheryl Raan and Rachel Ryan Water. He started messing with the letters and did the same for Raider Randy Hurt after he took the Water off Rachel's name and realized what they missed.

"They were right under our noses the entire time, Stan. They used anagrams of their names for their id's. Cheryl hasn't been married to Blake that long, but she would have the money to travel to Paris and back and help Thierry. She's connected to Thierry somehow and I have a feeling she used the Water family as a means to afford to do so."

Stan was about to reply when he received an email. Opening it up he found what he had been worried about.

"Marshall, someone just started looking into you and Mary. It's time to bring the Williams family back home. Leave all your belongings there. The FBI will pack everything up. Delete the information that you've had on the computer. I'll tell the pilot you'll be leaving soon."

Marshall has started working on getting the information wiped off the computer when the door opened. He saw Mary walk in and look at him so he hit the phone on speaker.

"We'll be leaving as soon as I finish cleaning the drive. Is there any clue as to how much information these people have?"

"You're still flying blind. We don't know who these people have in their pocket. We're still gathering information on Cheryl Raan. I know the backgrounds came back clean on Carl and Blake Water. You might be right about her using them for money."

"Who's Cheryl Raan and why would she be using the Water family?" Mary asked confused.

"Think of her as Rachel Water," Marshall replied, while finishing up the file cleaning. "Stan, I'm done with the files. Mary and I are heading to the van."

"Delia has the FBI on the line. They're going to give you a five minute start."

"Good that should give us enough time to get our guns," Marshall replied to Stan before turning his attention to Mary. "Do you have the keys?"

Mary held them out so he could see them and then tossed them to him.

"Get the purse: it has the maps with the different routes in them."

"Stan, what do you have for us on Cheryl?" Marshall asked as he and Mary headed out the door.

"Cheryl was born and raised in Paris, France. Hung around with some wrong crowds growing up until she got her act together. She became a fashion designer before disappearing out of the public eye. No one has seen or heard from her in sixteen years when she suddenly reappeared shortly before the Embassy reception."

"Does that Cheryl match our Cheryl?" Mary asked.

"Better yet cross reference her background with Rachel Ryan. I have a feeling they're connected somehow. I have a feeling it might not be in a good way for Cheryl Raan if they aren't one in the same."

"I'll call you back with the information. If you need anything, run into trouble or need the jet moved call me immediately. The FBI is sending you backup to the airstrip just in case."

"Thanks, Stan."

Mary waited until the elevator door closed before turning towards Marshall.

"What's going on?"

"Someone ran a check on us," Marshall started and then proceeded to tell Mary everything that had happened.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Zoya was still cleaning rooms when she saw the Williams family moving with their guards. Something was up because they had plans they made with the concierge for the day. She had seen it when she visited him. It was how she knew what was going on with the people that had attended the events.

She thought of Cheryl. Using her here with the guests had been risky and they had kept her involvement to a minimum. Cheryl must not have stuck out at the event because most of the guests didn't seem to have paid attention to her. She could use her to relay information if needed. She moved to the elevator to hear what was being said.

Zoya recognized three of the men. One was the man with the room between the married couple and the family and the other two were the family's guards. The one guard she recognized and the other she didn't. She moved to the area by the elevator while checking the corridors. Zoya slipped into the nearest room after making sure no one was in it and kept the door opened a crack to hear.

"We move them to the parking lot, hand them over to the marshals and they fly out of Le Bourget Airport. We have several teams there in case something happens."

Zoya took out her cell phone and texted Abram the information.

"Well for their sakes let's hope this goes well."

"Shouldn't be a problem they have a backup plan if they run into trouble getting to the airport. That's when things would get ugly. From what I overheard our team would be an hour out from protecting them. It would just be the two marshals and the family."

"It's a good day not to be a marshal if something happens. Rumor is theses two are one of the best teams and damn good at improvising. I really hope it doesn't come to that," the agent said signaling the others it was clear.

Zoya once again texted the information she had before calling Cheryl and relaying the information that she knew.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Cheryl had been in her room waiting to here what was happening when her phone rang.

"Yes."

Cheryl listened to the information Zoya had given her and went into her room, opened the safe and removed her gun and the walkie talkie that they'd be using to relay information for going after the family. Moving back out to the other room she grabbed her keys and headed to the car she had parked near by. She didn't want to take the one she had rented with Carl.

Moving swiftly she entered the elevators and quickly crossed the street to where her car was. She had the perfect view of the parking lot. It was in her hurry she hadn't realized Blake and Carl had seen her.

Blake walked over towards the car Cheryl was sitting in and knocked on the window.

"Honey, we're back. No need to catch up to us. Whose car is this?"

"One of the hotels rentals. I couldn't find the keys. I'm feeling better and wanted to go for a drive. Do you mind if I go out for a little bit?" Cheryl replied, irritated as she saw a minivan pull out and recognized the married couple and knew full well that wasn't the car they had had, but was big enough for a family.

"No, go ahead," Blake said, noting the way his wife's eyes followed the minivan. "Friends of yours?"

"No, we met the couple in the hotel earlier this week. They reminded your father of him and your mother at their age."

Blake nodded. "I'll see you later."

Cheryl agreed and then took off noticing Carl cross the street towards his son.

"Where's she going?"

"For a drive she said."

"Something is off though. It has been with her all week. We should follow her and make sure she's okay," Carl replied, knowing he had a lot of information to share with his son about his wife along that drive. There was something about her he just didn't trust and that feeling had gotten worse since they arrived in Paris.

"Good idea."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall was driving towards the airport when he spotted a car that seemed to be following them. Wanting to make sure he was right he took the first turn off he could get.

"What the hell?" Mary asked.

"We have company," Marshall replied, seeing the car making the turn and speeding up.

Marshall let the irritated GPS get him back to the main road before looking at Mary.

"Call Stan, have him alert the pilot to change locations, program the GPS for the other airport, grab our map and have Stan tell our back up there's been a change in plans."

Mary nodded and started doing what Marshall had asked, while he calmly explained what they were doing.

"For your own safety, I'm going to ask that you get out of your seats and down onto the floorboards as an extra precaution. The other airport is about an hour away."

The Williams quickly complied and Marshall looked over to Mary who was programming the GPS while talking to Stan.

"Tell the FBI to haul ass. I don't want us in a piss poor situation," Mary said to Stan.

"Mary, they'll be a half hour behind you. Be careful."

"Yes, Dad," Mary said hoping to relieve some of the tension she heard in Stan's voice.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Cheryl was listening to the car following the marshals. When she heard what direction they were heading she pulled out her cell phone and called a friend who worked at the Le Bourget Airport.

"Xavier, this is Cheryl. I have friends who are supposed to fly out of the airport shortly and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss them before they left. I have something I forgot to give them."

"Who are your friends?"

"The Millers," Cheryl said, quickly remembering the names Carl had mentioned.

"Their plane left a little while ago. You might be able to catch them. It sounds like they had a change in plans. The plane is flying into Pontoise airport."

"Thanks, hopefully I can catch them there," Cheryl said hanging up with Xavier and calling Abram.

"Cheryl we're a little busy here."

"Have your boys let the marshals think they got away from them. I called a friend that works at the airport. Their private jet left for Pontoise. They are leaving from there."

"How trustworthy is this friend?"

"I wouldn't risk Thierry like that and you know it. If you head there you should have enough time to cut off the plane. They won't have much time."

"I'll head there with my men. The others will never get there on time. I sent them to the other airport. By the time they pull themselves from their positions and backtrack to the airport this will all be over."

"Then you can tell them to turn around and let someone else find the dead bodies."

"We're on our way."

Cheryl turned her car around and headed to Pontoise. She wanted to see the people who wanted to lock her Thierry away. They would pay for messing with him.


	6. Chapter 6

Marshall was trying to lose their tail and getting frustrated. He didn't want to veer to far from the main road as they had no clue what was in the surrounding areas. That trip was supposed to take place later this week. Marshall jerked the minivan quickly off the road and turned it around just as fast to head back to the main thoroughfare.

Mary gripped the handle as they moved swiftly before watching Marshall's face filled with tension. She knew full well what he was thinking and he was right. They needed more time for this kind of crap. To her delight as they headed back to the road the tail tried to turn around and apparently stalled his car.

"There not moving. Let's hightail it out of here, Marshall."

Marshall hit the gas pedal and floored it. He didn't want any more company then they already had.

Mary continued to look around for any signs of trouble as they finally saw the sign for the airport.

"How do we know which one is our airstrip?" Mary asked, before Marshall turned into the airport.

"It only has two strips, one that is lighted and one that isn't. We're leaving from the one that is."

Marshall pulled up close to the jet and got out and looked at the pilot.

"Get it running. We had company on the way here and, who knows how far behind their friends are, if they have any."

"Right away," the pilot said before heading into the cockpit.

"Mare, start loading the family and I'll get their gear."

Mary nodded before opening the minivan door.

"Grab a kid and let's go. Head directly into the plane and get buckled in. I'll come back for the last one," Mary said, as the Williams agreed.

Marshall came back for the last bag as Mary was getting the four year old out of the car when he saw a car approaching fast.

"Mary, get him on the plane now. We have company."

Mary turned and saw the car approaching as the first shot was fired. They both ducked behind the minivan. Marshall pulled his Glock out.

"I'll cover you. You get him on that plane."

"We go and we go together," Mary insisted.

Marshall heard the squeals of tires making a fast turn. Taking a quick peak over the hood of the minivan, he saw the first car still coming towards them and an SUV turning into the airport.

"Not this time Mare. Witnesses come first. You get him on that plane and you leave. Do you understand me?"

"Marshall!"

"Mary, go and go now!" Marshall snapped, standing up he shot at the car approaching. His shot hit the driver's side windshield and the car swerved and stopped. The person was getting out. "Now, Mare!"

Mary knew she couldn't argue anymore she quickly passed Marshall her Glock and ran to the plane. Marshall signaled the pilot to leave. He assumed the co-pilot locked them up as they began to make their way down the runway.

Marshall saw another car coming into the airport and knew things were not going to be good for him. His attention was drawn back to the shooter. He had to move as he saw a second shooter moving towards the first one and managed to shoot him. It was then he felt two impacts and turned before managing to get the other shooter.

Marshall knew he didn't have time to check on them. He jumped into the minivan and floored the gas. The minivan went flying down the runway. Marshall checked to see if the third car followed him, but it headed towards the bodies he left.

Marshall saw the person in the SVU leaning out the window. Seeing this Marshall lowered his window and shot at the man. The maneuver sent the shooter back in the car and allowed Marshall to gain ground. Pushing the pedal down even more Marshall plowed the minivan into the SUV sending them both away from the airplane.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary had heard the gunshot and seen the minivan slam into the SUV followed by the sickening sound of metal hitting metal just before the plane lifted into the air. The only thing her mind could grasp at the moment was that she had just left Marshall all alone and, in who knows, how bad of a shape.

She found herself doing something she hadn't done since before her father left. The old familiar prayer still memorized after all these years running through her mind as she impatiently waited for the plane to level off so she could go to the cockpit and arrange communication with Stan and a return trip for Marshall.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Blake had turned the car towards where he has seen the bodies fall as soon as the minivan moved after the SUV. Getting out of the car, he ran over to the familiar form while Carl hobbled along after him.

"Rachel, what were you doing?" Blake asked when saw that she was alive. He knew it wouldn't be for long though.

"Trying to save Thierry. Did I kill him? Did I kill the marshal like he killed me?"

"No, he went after the other car," Blake replied before they heard shots and then metal hitting metal along with the roar of the plane as it took off.

"He must die. He got them away. Thierry will go to jail or worse."

"Who's Thierry?" Blake asked struggling to comprehend everything.

"The love of my life. Your money helped me help him. It was worth the deceit. My connections will take care of the marshal if he survives," Cheryl said before closing her eyes and slipping away.

Carl had walked over to check the man but didn't suspect he would be alive.

"Son, there is nothing we can do for her, but we need to check on the marshal. If he's alive I have a friend whose place we can use to help him with his injuries. You and I both know he didn't get out of the car wreck unhurt. We can't take him to a hospital and we don't know who to trust other than my friend. I won't allow the marshal to die if we can help him."

Blake turned with tears in his confused eyes, but nodded. Whoever this woman was she wasn't the woman he married. They quickly got in the car and headed to the accident scene. They both knew there wasn't much time.

Carl opened the door to the driver's side to see the man's face planted in the airbag. Checking for a pulse he was relieved to find one. Carefully moving the man back he was shocked to see the young newlywed. He felt bad for the young man as it would be weeks or months before they could get him back to his bride if his injuries were not too severe.

The two men braced him the best they could before loading him into the car and taking off.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was glad when the jet finally landed in Boston seven hours later. The new marshals for the Williams were waiting and Mary gladly turned them over. With Marshall and Mary having been seen in France it was decided it was best to relocate the Williams somewhere other than Albuquerque. Mary was waiting for the jet to get refueled. She wanted to be on her way back to France. It was as she was pacing the tarmac that her cell rang. Looking at the id she smiled. Now she could get her report on how Doofus was.

"Stan, how's Marshall? What hospital is he at and the jet should be ready to leave in a few minutes. The Williams are tucked away wherever the new marshals are taking them. I'm ready to go back."

Stan rubbed his bald spot knowing the next words were going to go over horribly to say the least. He had spent the last hour screaming at the FBI, the U.S Embassy and the National Police.

"Mary, you're not flying back to Paris. You're coming back to Albuquerque."

"What time does Marshall's flight arrive?"

"Marshall isn't on a flight."

Mary felt her heart race accelerate at that. He wasn't dead. Marshall wasn't dead.

"Where the hell is he?"

"At the moment, that would be the million dollar question."

"Stan, don't screw with me. Where is Marshall?"

"No one knows at the moment. The FBI is looking for him."

"He was in the minivan after crashing into the SUV. How hard is it to find him?

"Mary, when they arrived at the accident scene the door to the minivan was open and he wasn't inside."

"Stan, the FBI wasn't that far behind us. I'll find Marshall."

"No, you're coming home. They don't know who else was involved in this whole mess and you're unsafe going back. The State Department and US Embassy have decided that we cannot be involved since the incident occurred on foreign soil and have to let the FBI handle it. You and I are not allowed in Paris anytime soon."

"Stan, this is Marshall."

"You think I don't know that. I've used every contact that Eleanor, Seth, and I have. No one will authorize any of us to go. Trust me when I say that we have all tried."

"I left him, Stan. I left him there. I left him alone," Mary said, trying to fight the tears that she could feel forming in her eyes.

"Mary, come home."

"It's not a home without Marshall."

"We'll find him. I don't know how or when but we will find him. Get on the plane and come home."

The pilot indicated to Mary it was time to leave. Mary forced herself to walk up each of the steps leading in. The guilt eating her up inside was making every step seem to be an extra burden. Once the copilot shut the door and went inside the cockpit Mary let the tears flow freely down her face.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Blake and Carl brought Marshall to Carl friend's house. The man was a veterinarian. They were going to use his x-ray machine and facilities to work on Marshall.

Carl waited impatiently while his son took the x-rays of Marshall. Once they had them developed father and son stood looking at them.

"Considering what he's been through he's in better shape than most. He dislocated his hip. The first bullet stuck in his vest and left a nasty bruise and the second one grazed his side but he vest prevented it from doing any real damage."

"The hip dislocation will take awhile to heal. He's going to have to stay hidden for at least two to three months," Carl said to Blake.

"Will your friend let you stay here that long?"

"Yes, I saved his life in WWII. He feels indebted to me no matter how many times I tell him he's not."

"I'm going to go manipulate the bones into place and stitch up a couple of his other wounds. I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Thank you, Blake. He wouldn't have shot Rachel…"

"She shot at him first. We both saw it. I don't hold him responsible for doing his job. My job is to heal people. I have nothing against this man."

Carl nodded before heading off to work on Marshall.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Mary arrived in Albuquerque and marched straight into Stan's office.

"Please tell me you have come up with a plan to get us to Paris to find Marshall."

Stan knew that would be all she thought about. The fact that she had to leave Marshall behind would be eating away at her and, if he were honest, he was feeling guilty for sending them into an area they weren't familiar with. When they were together, though most things worked out and they came home together or one ended up in the hospital, but they were still home.

"I've tried every resource I have. What happened wasn't on the American soil so we can't claim the right to investigate. The French Government is working with the FBI to find him. They don't want him to stay missing anymore than we do."

Mary sank into the chair the full reality of everything hitting her.

"Stan, if something happened to Marshall the last thing I did was arguing with him about leaving. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye," Mary said.

Stan noticed the tears in Mary's eyes but didn't comment on them. There was nothing he could do besides getting Marshall home that could make this better.

"Mary, go home get some sleep. When you get back we'll go over everything. See if there is something or somewhere Marshall might have gone to get help or who might have taken him. You need to rest first."

"We can do this now. Marshall needs us."

"Mary, you're tired. Marshall needs us to think clearly at the moment and I need you to rest so you can do that."

Mary rolled her eyes even though a part of her knew Stan was right.

"Fine," she griped, getting up and heading out the door.

Mary went to her car and drove to Marshall's place. Grabbing her key she unlocked the door and headed to his bedroom. Going through his closet and drawers she pulled out a pair of goofy lounge pants and one of his oversized t-shirts he kept there for her. Climbing into the bed she wrapped her arms around Marshall's pillow and breathed in the familiar scent. It's funny she thought the cologne he used in Paris was intoxicating yet this scent was so much more than that. It was the last thought she had before falling asleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall woke up in a room he wasn't familiar with and knew it wasn't a hospital either. If it was a hospital he wouldn't be in a queen size bed. Looking around he tried to get his bearings while thinking of a way to escape. While trying to move his hip hurt so much that he and couldn't suppress the cry of pain that escaped his lips.

"Mr. Miller, please don't move. You dislocated your hip. You are safe here. We are at a friend's house. Rachel mentioned she had friends who would hurt you if you were taken to a hospital. Blake and I moved you from the airport and brought you here. I'd call your wife if I could but we do not know what kind of reach Rachel had or who or what she knows about any of us. When you are fully recovered we'll make arrangements to get you home," Carl said, patting the young man on the shoulder.

Marshall had heard what Carl was telling him but didn't like it. He wanted to know how long the healing process would take, but fell back to sleep before he could.

Carl watched the man and could only imagine the turmoil he felt. When the medications wore off and he had to tell him how long they would be there, he had a feeling the young man wouldn't be happy. He really did wish that he could call the young man's wife. The option was too risky. He had planned on having Blake tell the Marshals Service where he was, but the other reason Blake flew to Paris was he accepted a temporary position at one of the hospitals. He had wanted to stay a few years in order for Rachel to be around her family.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Two months had passed since Mary's return from France without Marshall. She had taken a week of to try and sneak out of the country to look for him, but was stopped at the airport by the Air Marshals. It infuriated her. As a result, she and Stan had a blow up like none ever before. Everyone else in the office kept as far away from the two as possible.

"Mary, my office."

Mary shut the door after entering the office.

"What?"

"Mary, I know that this has been hard on everyone, especially you, but you need to be nicer to your temporary partner until we bring Marshall home," Stan said trying to keep his voice even while setting his coffee cup down near Mary. "You and I need to stop taking our frustrations out on each other."

Mary was about to answer when some smell hit her nose and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"Mary, are you okay?" Stan asked concerned when he saw Mary's face go pale.

Mary shook her head no before running out of the room and into the bathroom. Leaning over the toilet she threw up until there was nothing left. Getting up she rinsed her mouth out before heading back into Stan's office.

"Mary?"

"Something I ate didn't agree with me."

"That or stress."

"Like you're any better. Why can't we just go to Paris and start looking for him, Stan? Sitting here isn't doing Marshall any good."

"Mary, we don't know the area, don't have an authority and, unfortunately, have people to take care of here. The FBI agents are still looking for him. Eleanor ensures that Marshall stays a priority. She's using all the pull she has. I know this is hard, Mary. But they'll find him."

"Yeah, but will he still be alive? The longer it takes the greater the likelihood of those people hurting, if not killing him. If they haven't already."

"Mary, if they had Marshall there's a high probability that we would have heard from them for a trade for Thierry."

"Stan, while I realize that you're trying to make me feel better this isn't working. You and I both know that he's either injured, being injured or dead. Why don't you stop trying to sugar coat it?"

Stan looked at Mary and knew that he could continue with the charade they were both playing for the last two months.

"I need to believe he's coming home. I sent you to a place you were unfamiliar with and had little to no back up. If I don't believe that then I have to admit I sent him to his death. Don't even tell me it's my job. I know it is Mary, but that doesn't make it feel any better. You are not the only one hurting here," Stan said, letting the truth out.

"I need him," Mary whispered feeling the tears well up in her eyes.

"Mary, take a few days off. Delia and I can handle your cases," Stan said, worried something else was wrong with her.

Mary nodded and headed towards the elevator. She went straight to Marshall's house. She had been staying there a lot since Paris and since she found out. Mary moved towards the bathroom and looked at the stick again. After looking at the stick she pulled out the piece of paper that had confirmed what she had suspected. Taking the piece of paper with her she walked out of the bathroom and over to the bed.

Crawling into Marshall's bed she lay down and rested her hand on her stomach. She traced it with her finger and thought about the life growing inside her. Mary swore after the last time she got pregnant by accident it would never happen again. She had known for two weeks now. She had tried to deny it. She had tried really hard to convince herself that it was nothing more than the stomach flu. After taking the home pregnancy test she went to her doctor, who had confirmed the results. It scared her even more when she had felt a connection to Marshall the second it was confirmed and had no doubts this time. Mary thought back to that day.

_She had gotten sick to her stomach for the fourth time that day. Groaning about the thought of taking time off and not looking for Marshall bothered her. She had noticed that morning her breasts seemed to be swelling and were tender. The coffee smell had set her stomach off and she had been eating chocolate like there was no tomorrow. It was the coffee and breast tenderness that tipped her off. _

_Her first thought was that she was overreacting, but after her first pregnancy she knew better. She and Marshall were drunk enough to not think straight, but apparently not drunk enough to have sex six times before passing out. She couldn't live in denial this time. All the signs were there. _

_She remembered the doctor walking in and confirming the news. It was weird that she didn't feel shocked, angry or like a stupid fool this time. Yes, she should have known better, but a part of Marshall was growing inside of her and she could only imagine what that baby would look like. The only thing she didn't let herself admit was that secretly she wanted this baby. The more time that passed without hearing from Marshall the firmer her resolve was to make sure this baby got whatever he needed. She wanted the baby to be a boy that would look just like Marshall and instinct was telling her it was. The world needed at least one Marshall Mann in it. In the back of her mind she wanted to scream that this world better have two or she was going to make sure someone paid for it._

Her mind drifted to her Marshall. He had always wanted to be a father. Would he be excited about the news or would he never get to know their child? Inside her was the only piece of Marshall she had left. Losing their child would be like losing Marshall all over again. She was so torn up about what to think where her partner was concerned. Logically she knew with each passing day the likelihood of him being alive became slimmer; but a part of her was convinced he was alive and out there somewhere. He needed her just like they needed him.

"Where are you Marshall? I meant it when I told Stan that I needed you. Please hear me and please come home. I need you to keep your promise to me. We both need you. I want our child to grow up with both of his parents. We can figure everything else out. I know I don't beg for things but I'm begging you to please come home," Mary whispered to the empty room hoping somehow, some way Marshall would hear her.

Mary reached under Marshall's pillow and grabbed his favorite shirt that she had left there yesterday. It still has his scent on it and it helped her to sleep at night. She knew it was sentimental and foolish but she didn't care. This one time in life it didn't matter if she was the girl and not strong all the time. Her rock was missing and until he returned home to anchor her she would cling to whatever she had to in order to keep him and her hopes alive. Hugging the shirt to her chest she cried herself to sleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall woke up to another day of hoping his hip would heal faster. They had a minor set back in the beginning when he developed a fever. Marshall looked at the calendar. It was two months since he last saw Mary board the plane. Two months of her, Stan, and his family spent wondering where he was. He understood the need for secrecy and to stay under the radar, but he found himself wanting desperately to call Mary. They had never talked about what happened that night or morning, however you wanted to look at it.

He couldn't help but wonder if it was better that they had time apart. Deep down he knew it wasn't. Facing Mary's rejection and trying to make light of what happened between them was something he wasn't ready for. Although, at the rate things were going it would still be months before they could even attempt to get him out of here. Blake regularly stopped by to check on and x-ray him with the equipment they had. He figured another month until the hip was healed, another four weeks before he would be at functional weight bearing exercises and still another three to four months before returning to full activity. The good news, if you could call it that, would be that in two months he could be on his way home.

Four months kept playing in his head. His friends and family would be stuck worrying about him for four months. He knew that it would be causing them a lot of heartache. He was truly sorry for that.

"You looked troubled, Marshall," Carl said while sitting in the chair next to the bed. "I know this must be hard on you and your family. I wish there was a way that we could reach out to them for you, but with Rachel involved we don't know if they have our phones checked or anything like that."

"Her name was Cheryl or at least that was her previous alias. We were trying to find out more about her. I know that you would let me call if it was safe. You, Blake and your friend have been more than generous to me and I appreciate it."

"You're worried about your wife."

"She's actually my partner," Marshall replied as his eyes looked at the ring on his finger longingly.

"You love her. She loves you. That is not something that you can pretend. It was in the way you act around each other, the way you look at each other and the way you respond to each other."

"Mary doesn't love me. I've tried to get her to see me, but she never did. We're best friends and nothing more."

Carl couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Love is blind, my friend, and apparently so are you. Your Mary is in love with you. No one gets that jealous or protective over just their best friend. She may not have admitted it to herself, but she does love you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Mary was ready to claw the eyes out of the women who were staring at you. The way she looked at you was a combination of pure desire, admiration, respect and a whole lot of concern. But, the jealousy was the biggest clue. She made sure women in the hotel knew that you were hers and with one glare she warned them of what would happen if they tried to take what was hers. Now, if she was only your best friend, she would make sure their intentions were good and that they would treat you right. She wouldn't want them to stay away from you. She would want them to treat you properly and make sure they were genuine in their interest."

"Mary's a naturally overprotective person. It comes with the job."

"Are you trying to convince you or me? I think you're scared to tell her how you feel. Make the leap, my young friend. You will find out that it's worth it in the end."

"I could end up alone and looking for a new partner."

"At least then you wouldn't be in the limbo that you have set yourself up in. You can't move forward and I'm guessing you've tried. Most men try to do that if they are hung up on one person. You sometimes find someone to love but it isn't enough. The reason it's not enough is because you still wonder what could be if you had only said something. Either way you end up alone. The one way you have an answer and you can move forward."

Marshall had to give him credit. Carl was pretty sharp on what he saw and what he said.

"How are you so sure?"

"I almost made that mistake with my wife. If I hadn't told her how I felt we both would have ended up miserable. We spent many happy years together and while I miss her terribly I know that no one could've made me as happy as her. I think you and Mary have that same connection as my wife and I did. I saw it at the hotel when you were together. Think about all that you have been through and what it would be like to never have the opportunity to try for the whole package while I'm getting your lunch. We can discuss this more if you would like while you're eating."

Marshall closed his eyes and let Carl's words run around in his mind. Was he right? Could they be happy together? Would Mary break his heart and lead him on a path to finding another person to be happy with? Carl was right about one thing. He needed an answer especially after they had been together.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary came into the office and looked at the calendar. Her hopes of them ever finding Marshall were beginning to fade. It was officially three moths today that he had been missing. Three months of tears, frustration, anger and feeling utterly lost. Still every day that she and Stan could find time to call and check in on the case ended up in a shouting match that was apparently increasing her blood pressure.

Mary's hand moved over to her belly as she unconsciously ran her hand over it. The doctor had told her she needed to be put on desk duty or she would end up on bed rest because of her blood pressure. It was high and dangerous for both her and the baby. The doctor had told her if she didn't start taking it easy she could lose her unborn child. That had scared Mary. Her promise to protect Marshall's child, to bring it into this world healthy and make sure that she raised it properly had her watching and waiting for Stan to come in. This was going to be an awkward conversation. She knew that she had to figure out all of her options job wise and eventually decide what was best for the baby. If she had to leave WITSEC for the baby's sake she would. Caroline and Seth would more than likely help her out. She had been in constant contact with the two. They didn't know she was pregnant. She had wanted Marshall to be the first to know but since that wasn't a possibility any longer, Stan would be the first. When she was ready she would tell the others.

At that moment Stan scanned himself in and saw Mary walking towards him.

"Mary?"

"No news on Marshall. Can we talk in your office privately?" Mary asked.

Stan felt a sigh of relief when Mary said no news. He kept worrying about the day he would walk in and hear that Marshall's body was found. Hope had pretty much left all of them with the exception of Caroline. She refused to believe that Marshall was gone and wouldn't even consider it unless there was a body found. He wasn't sure who would take it worse if it came to that. Mary and Caroline would both be devastated and their hearts shattered. Somehow though Stan couldn't help but think Mary's would never be healed again. Mary wouldn't let anyone in again. Marshall had snuck by all of her defenses and she would not repeat that mistake if he was gone.

"Stan?" Mary asked concerned.

"Sorry, follow me."

Mary closed the door after they entered into the office. She had the note from the doctor as required to prove that she was pregnant. Although Stan would know she wouldn't say it if she wasn't. It irritated Mary that some people had tried to use it as an excuse to get out of an assignment they didn't like.

"You still can't go to Paris. Allison isn't going to let that go for awhile. I tried again last night."

"It's not about that," Mary said, not sure how this was going to go.

Stan could tell Mary was nervous about telling him something. She always bit her bottom lip when she was.

"What is it? You know that you can tell me anything. I'll do my best to help you."

"I know and I appreciate it. I need to be put on desk duty per orders from my doctor."

"For how long? Why? Are you alright?" Stan asked.

Mary saw the fear on Stan's face. She hadn't meant to scare him. She should have realized it would. First of all he was still blaming himself about Marshall and second her volunteering to go on desk duty was something he probably never expected.

"The doctor wants me on desk duty for the next six months because my blood pressure is high and it's not good for the baby. I'm also considered high risk because of my age. I can't do a repeat of what happened last time. I can't lose this baby, Stan."

"Mary I know this is probably none of my business but I'm going to ask. Who's the baby's father?"

Mary for a moment felt like she should be insulted but Stan was worn down enough from everything happening and she knew he wasn't trying to be rude.

"Marshall," Mary said. "It wasn't planned and I take full responsibility for what happened that night."

"Mary, you don't have to explain unless you want to" Stan said.

Much to Mary's own horror, she somehow found herself spilling her guts about what happened that night.

"Mary, if Marshall comes home what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet. Marshall and I obviously need to talk about a lot of things. I ran away from him instead of facing him the morning after. I can only imagine what he must have thought."

Stan wanted to argue the point with Mary but knew he couldn't. Marshall had been in love with Mary for years and doubted Mary would ever feel the same. Her hiding from him would have reinforced that idea.

"Do you love him?" Stan asked crossing the one line he knew he probably shouldn't with Mary.

Mary looked at Stan in surprise.

"What difference does that make?"

"All the difference in the world."

"Why are asking?" Mary asked defensively.

"You know full well why I'm asking Mary. No more games. If we get Marshall back you and he are going to have a lot to work out. Your decision is going to affect this office and it will affect Marshall the most."

"You said if," Mary accused.

"Mary, I want him back as much as you do. The reality is he's been missing a long time. We don't know if he trusted someone he shouldn't, if one of Cheryl's associates got to him or what happened. Marshall would have called by now if he could. I'm not saying he isn't alive, but realistically we have to start facing the facts. You probably more than the rest of us, now that you're carrying his child."

"I know that the chances of him coming back aren't very realistic at this point, but they are still there. We have no proof either way. I can't give up on Marshall, Stan. I just can't. It matters too much."

Stan didn't miss the way her hand stroked over her stomach or the tears that slid down her cheeks. Mary had been strong for the last four months in front of him. He wondered when she allowed herself to hurt.

"I'm not giving up yet either. I don't want to upset you especially now, but I don't want you putting yourself under even more stress later if Marshall doesn't come back. I know that this is hard on you and I want you to know that you can come to me anytime if you need a shoulder to lean on. I know I'm not Marshall, but I'm a pretty good listener."

Mary swiped at the tears, frustrated that she cried in front of Stan, but nodded in understanding.

"When is the last time you went home to your house and not Marshall's?"

"I prefer it at Marshall's. I stop by my house and pick stuff up every couple of days."

"Is that the healthy for the two of you?"

"I sleep better there. I know it sounds stupid, but I feel better there."

"It's not stupid Mary. You're sounded by all things Marshall there. It makes you feel closer to him. Let me know if there is anything that I can do for the two of you besides the obvious."

"Thanks Stan," Mary noticed the blinds were closed so she went around the desk and placed a kiss on his bald spot. "You're going to make a great Grandpa Stan for him."

"It's a boy?" Stan asked.

"I think so, but we won't know for another one to two months. Somehow though I think it is."

"Thank you for considering me Grandfather material," Stan said, smiling as he watched Mary walk back to her desk. The image of a little boy looking like Marshall quickly flashed in his head.

Once Mary was out of the office Stan called Eleanor.

"Stan, what can I do for you?"

"Eleanor how high does your connections go and are there any more resources left for you to tap? It's imperative that we find Marshall one way or the other."

"What's changed?" Eleanor asked.

Stan explained to Eleanor the situation, knowing full well she'd never let Mary know that she knew. Stan wouldn't have told her but he needed all the pull he can get.

"I've tapped my resources dry, but let me do some digging around and see if I can find someone with more power. I'll call you back as soon as I hear anything."

"I owe you big time, Eleanor."

"Just take me to the wedding when it happens. Don't say it's not going to happen I know how much time has passed, but it seems like fate is intervening. Marshall is out there somewhere Stan. Just keep believing it."

Stan hung up hoping Eleanor was right. Mary and Marshall deserved happiness and the only way they would have that is if they were together.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Brandi was waiting for Mary in her living room. She had been there every day for the last three. Mary refused to tell Brandi or Jinx where Marshall's house was. It was sacred ground as far as Mary was concerned and they weren't allowed on it. Mary had finally told then last month that she was pregnant. She was now five months along with Marshall's son. Mary had at least shared that with them. Hearing the key turn in the door Brandi smiled. She figured at some point Mary would need to come home.

Mary tried not to groan when she walked into the house and saw Brandi sitting there. The last thing she needed was the dynamic duo trying to tell her what to do for her and her son. Mary smiled at that. She had been right. Now the little guy just needed to come out looking like his father and she'd be happy. Not perfectly happy, but happy.

"Squish to what do I owe this visit?" Mary asked.

"Mom and I are worried about you." Brandi replied.

Mary rolled her eyes. She knew what was coming next and was going to be irritated by it. Brandi and Jinx have been on a rampage about her finding someone to settle down with as it would help her with the baby.

"I'm fine."

"Then why are you not spending time with Mom and I? You go to Marshall's house and lock yourself up from the rest of the world. You should be out there dating or meeting people at the least. Marshall has been missing for five months Mary. I think you need to start thinking about what that means. Your job is dangerous. You went missing for a few days with Spanky and everyone panicked."

"That wasn't my job Brandi. That was one of you poor decisions coming back to bite me in the ass. Don't you dare sit there and judge my job or my loyalty to Marshall. Yes, I realize what that means, but unlike most of you, that doesn't mean I'm going to just write him off. Weren't you the one who was telling me to open my eyes before? Didn't you point out the fact that I was jealous becomes some hostess was eyeballing Marshall. You were right about that. I don't like sharing Marshall because I love him. Okay, it may have taken me awhile to figure it out, but I love him and I'm having our child. This little boy is going to know his father one way or the other. I'm not going to go out and date the next thing that comes along because you and Jinx have it in your head that I need to move on. What I need to do is focus on my son and finding out what happened to Marshall. If he's dead then I'll bury him and take out son to his grave to know that his father died a hero."

"I just don't want you waiting by the window for Marshall to come home. I bet if you called Mark he'd give it another chance."

"Marshall isn't Dad, Brandi. Marshall didn't abandon me. He did his job and got left behind in order to make sure the job was completed. I'm not interested in Mark. That was a mistake from the marriage to sleeping with him again. It was something that should have never happened. I let you bring him into my house and force me into going to dinner. I brought him home and slept with him and do you know why?"

Brandi shook her head realizing she needed to back off as Mary was getting worked up.

"I tell you why. Because I knew that Marshall was going home with Abigail. He wasn't alone any more. He had someone that mattered to him in his life and it wasn't me. So I of course had to prove that I was still as attractive to men. I slept with Mark to prove a point to myself. I paid the price for that. I'm not that person anymore. I learned a lot about myself in the last five months, and some of it probably more than that wasn't pretty. Do you have any idea what I've put Marshall through? Yet he didn't leave me. When I needed him the most he was always there. Somehow he got past all the armor I've built up and wormed his way into my heart." Mary said unable to stop the tears flowing down her face. "I finally realized what love is, what it looks like, what it feels like and what it means and I may have figured it out to late."

"I'm sorry, Mary. I just want what's best for you. I don't want you to be alone."

"I won't be alone Brandi. At the very least I will always have a part of Marshall with me. I don't come around you and Jinx for this very reason. You don't think about what you say or how it will affect me. I know that you're trying to do what's best and I appreciate it, but I know what's best for me. If I never get Marshall back then I'll be happy with raising his son. I want to give him everything that Marshall had and more. I want him to know his Dad would understand him no matter what and not judge him. I want my son to grow up to be just like his Dad but I won't pressure or question him on what he wants to do with his life. I'm not the lost girl who is waiting for her father to come home. I maybe the woman hoping that a miracle will walk through the door, but I know that Marshall may never come home and we may never know what happened to him. I admit I hate it and at some point I'll go back to France and scour the damn country looking for him or his remains so that he can come home. Until his body is found there is a slim chance of hope, and for once, I'm going to let myself hold on to that tiny bit of hope. Maybe years from now I'll let it go but for now I can't. If you and Jinx have a problem with that, then I want you to stay away from me until you can respect my wishes."

"I'm sorry. I guess I didn't realize just how much Marshall meant to you."

"Now you do. You can tell Mom. The two of you are grownups and can take care of yourself. All my spare time will be spent taking care of my son. If you want to be a part of his life, and I do hope that you do, you're going to have to also realize that I won't have time to deal with all of the drama you two manage to conjure up. You have both matured over the last several years and I'm glad. This is my turn to do what is right for me. I'm taking it."

"There won't be anymore messes. Just promise me you'll do what makes you happy and I'll do my best to try and stop interfering in your personal life. I'll try and get Mom to understand you're not over Marshall and that you aren't ready to date again. I don't make any promises on getting Mom to cooperate," Brandi said hoping to lighten things up a little.

Mary smiled at that. She didn't expect perfection or overnight changes, but she needed to focus on her son and not what stunt Jinx or Brandi would pull next. They would stumble and fall but in the end they would come out okay.


	7. Chapter 7

Marshall found himself five and a half months after the incident being driven to the Beauvais-Tillé Airport. It had taken him two extra weeks of physical therapy to be able to put enough weight on his hip to walk with a cane. In his hands he had the x-rays and medical files he would need when he returned to Albuquerque. He would still be flying in without contact. Carl and Blake had arranged a charter flight for him under an assumed identity. They made sure he had his gun and badge, but his cell phone hadn't survived the crash.

Marshall got out of the car along with Blake and Carl and headed towards the Gulfstream jet.

"Marshall, you just need to tell them where to take you and they will get you home non-stop. They won't tell us where you went so we can't tell anyone either. It's the safest way we could think of to get you home. The jet is booked under a corporate name that won't exist after this flight and the destination will never reflect where you went or that you were even on board," Carl said.

"I don't know how to even begin to repay you for everything you've done for me. If you can give me some address or way to pay you back I can wire you the money when I get home."

"No need to repay us. You did enough for us," Carl responded.

"I didn't do anything for you," Marshall said confused.

"You did more than you will ever know," Blake replied.

"But I…" Marshall started but was cut off.

"Saved me from spending my life with a woman who never loved me and you gave my father a spark that he had been missing since my mother passed away. Go home and be happy. Tell your wife that we tried to fatten you up some. Dad mentioned she was overprotective and I don't want her thinking it was from lack of effort," Blake said, reaching out to shake Marshall's hand.

"You want to repay me. Go find that wonderful woman who makes you happy and tell her how you feel. She might just surprise you," Carl replied.

"Thanks again. I really wish there was more I could do for you," Marshall said honestly.

"Be happy and stay healthy. Go! You have people that miss you," Carl replied.

Marshall shook his hand and made his way into the jet. After telling the pilot their destination he limped back to a seat and watched his rescuers until he could no longer see them. Leaning his head against the window he began to worry about how Mary and Stan would react when he showed up without calling them. He kept thinking about Mary and wondered if she was seeing someone or what their night together meant to her, if anything. He drifted off to sleep both worried and excited to be going home.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan looked out of his office window to see Mary still at her desk. Noticing the time he came out and stood in front of her.

"I do believe that the person who is carrying my future grandchild should have left the office by now."

Mary was regretting she told Stan he would be a grandfather to this kid. It was going straight to his head and he was becoming bossier than Marshall had been when she was pregnant the last time.

"I just need to finish up this report," Mary said trying to cover up a yawn.

"The report can wait until tomorrow. It's ten o'clock. You should have left hours ago. Don't even try to argue or I'll get all mushy on you and I know how much you adore that."

"You wouldn't," Mary replied.

Stan's eyebrows rose in reply to her response. "Is that a challenge inspector?"

"No, I'm leaving like a good pregnant girl would. There's no need to punish me with all that mushy crap. Call Eleanor if you feel the need for loving," Mary huffed.

"What was that?"

"I said even Marshall wasn't this bad last time and neither were you," Mary replied.

"That's because last time you scared the both of us and this time the child you're carrying is my surrogate grandchild. Now go home and no more screwing around."

"Yes, Dad. Do I get a treat for being good too?" Mary replied sarcastically as she headed for the elevator.

"Goodnight, Mary."

"Goodnight, Stan."

Stan watched as the elevator doors close and then went back into his office to work. Half an hour later he got up to get some more coffee. The FBI had called and told them they would keep an eye out for Marshall, but they weren't going to spend any more resources on looking. They couldn't and Stan hadn't had the heart to tell Mary before she left. He would tell her in the morning.

Pouring his cup of coffee, he heard the ping of the elevator and didn't bother to turn around. He swore under his breath and debated if he could put a GPS tracker in Mary so he could just call her and tell her to go back home.

"I swear, Mary, that you better have forgotten something or so help me I'm going to take you home and handcuff you to that damn bed," Stan replied with irritation.

"Somehow I do believe that would fall under the category of sexual harassment and would be a reason to terminate your tenure within the U.S. Marshal Service. I'd hate to see your career come to an abrupt end because Mary finally pushed you over the edge," Marshall replied slightly amused.

Stan's head shot up at the first words spoken by the familiar voice, but he couldn't turn around. He was scared that the words would stop or that he had let his earlier conversation cause him to be delusional. As the voice continued to flow, he slowly turned around, and found himself staring at the person he never thought he'd see again.

"Hi Stan," Marshall said, softly. He didn't miss that Stan's face paled and his eyes widened in disbelief after he turned around.

Stan took in the lanky figure in front of him; thin and leaning on a cane he used as he walked further into the room.

"Marshall?" Stan said still shocked and trying to get his mind to wrap around the fact that it was really him.

Marshall nodded his head to affirm that it was him.

Stan finally really looked at Marshall and realized he looked lost. It was as if he didn't know what to say or do. Then again, it had been five months and three weeks since he had last seen him. It dawned on Stan that Marshall wasn't sure how to proceed or how he would be accepted. He also noticed Marshall seemed a little wobbly on his legs.

"Marshall, sit down before you fall down. I have a feeling that would prove to be painful for you," Stan said.

"I would've called but we weren't sure that it was safe too and I couldn't risk their lives. They arranged a charter for me and I still don't have a cell phone. Mine was destroyed when I rammed the SUV. By the time I got to the airport I figured it was just easier to do this in person."

"You lost a lot of weight. Did they feed you?"

Marshall rolled his eyes. "Of course, but I had to let my hip heal for three months before we could do anything more than the basics."

Stan could tell Marshall was tired, but knew that he would have to get the information from him before he could send him home. Then it dawned on him, Marshall didn't know about Mary and vice versa. He was going to have to drive Marshall home and figure a way to tell Mary. The shock wouldn't be good for either of them.

"Alright, why don't you give me a quick summary while I drive you home? We can go into the details later and I want you taken to a hospital here to be checked out."

"Stan, I have to tell Mare. She won't forgive me if I don't. Can you take me there?"

"She won't be there. Mary's pretty much moved into your house since she had returned from Paris. Don't ask, we'll deal with everything when we get used to having you home."

"Stan if there was any way for me…" Marshall started but was cut off.

"Don't apologize for coming home or doing what you had to in order to stay safe. I know that you wouldn't have kept us out of the loop if there was any way to avoid it. You can tell me why briefly on the way to your place."

"Thanks, Stan. How's Mary?" Marshall asked worried.

"She's about to be wonderful," Stan replied and finally hugged Marshall. "Welcome home, Marshall. Don't ever scare us like that again."

Marshall agreed as Stan helped him stand up before making their way to the elevator and out to Stan's car.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Mary was curled up in Marshall's bed in a pair of his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. Her hands were gripping Marshall's favorite shirt. The poor shirt was wrinkled and needed a wash, but Mary refused to let it go for that long when she was home. His scent would have been faded a long time ago, but she had begun to spray his cologne on it as the scent began to fade. Somehow this shirt had become a source of comfort and she refused to let it go. She knew she was just being stubborn and silly but it didn't matter. If Marshall ever came home and saw it he would have a coronary. Of course if that happened she would gladly exchange the shirt for Marshall.

She had been feeling anxious all day and didn't know why. The doctor had done an ultrasound on the baby again this morning, and everything was fine. She would do another in a month. Because of her being labeled high risk her doctor had scheduled them once a month to check for development and growth. Running her hand over the baby bump she took a few deep breaths before starting to drift off. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a car door shut. The sound was familiar and she recognized it as Stan's car. He always tried to make sure to be quiet when he stopped by the house late at night.

Mary swallowed the lump that had started forming as she fearfully headed to the front door to let Stan in. Her anxiety level increased the closer she got. Information that came in late at night was never good news. It was all she could think about as she made her way to the living room door.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan had listened to Marshall's story and now understood why he hadn't called them or been in touch. He would have endangered not only himself, but people who had helped him. Stan was going to have to find a way to repay them.

Marshall had fallen into a deep sleep part way to his house and Stan was silently grateful. He really didn't know how to proceed with the next part. Neither Mary nor Marshall needed the shock of seeing each other in current condition or alive. Stan had an idea of what he wanted to do especially if Marshall stayed asleep. Pulling out his cell phone he dialed the one person he trusted the most with figuring out how to handle precarious situation with the partners.

"Stan?" Eleanor asked fearful of the next words coming. She had heard them once before and never wanted to hear them again.

"He found his way home. Right now he's out cold and I'm almost at his house. Mary is there and…." Stan was cut off.

"You don't know what to do. Neither of them needs the shock. What's your game plan?" Eleanor asked her smile evident in her voice even through the phone.

"If Marshall stays asleep, I want to go in and prepare Mary before going back out to prepare Marshall. I know Mary wants to tell him but he's been through hell and looks the part. He's still healing from his injury and needs to get some meat on his bones."

"It's a good plan. I think under the circumstances Mary will be more than open to the idea. She's not going to want to jeopardize his health anymore than Marshall would hers."

"I'm here. Listen, I have to go. Thanks for listening."

"Call me back and let me know how it goes. Stan, give Marshall a hug for me and tell him thank you for coming back. We all need him."

"I will. Thanks Eleanor," Stan said before hanging up.

He opened his car door and shut it as quietly as possible wishing silently that he had just left it open. After checking to see Marshall still sleeping he headed to the house and saw the fear in Mary's eyes when he reached the door.

Mary looked at Stan's face and didn't see any signs that he was upset. She knew then that he hadn't received word on Marshall. Opening the door she let him in before leading him into the living room.

"Mary, please sit down. I promise what I have to say is nothing bad, but this conversation needs to go fast."

"Why are you acting so weird?" Mary asked confused.

"Sit down and I will tell you."

Mary reluctantly complied and saw Stan take a deep breath.

"Mary, Marshall showed up in the office a little while ago. He's alive. Injured, pale and lost weight, but after everything he's been through he's in good shape."

"Where is he?" Mary demanded.

"Marshall is currently asleep in the car, which is why I wanted to have this conversation quickly," Stan stopped Mary as she stood up and made to go outside. "Stop and that is an order."

"Stan, I need to see him."

"I know you do, which is why I didn't think letting him walk in here was a good idea without you getting a head's up that he was alive. In your condition, I don't think that it would be wise. I also wanted your permission to tell him about you carrying his child, so he isn't ambushed by seeing you pregnant. He's been gone five and half months Mary. Seeing you this way without knowing that the baby is his or that you're pregnant wouldn't exactly be good for Marshall."

Mary stopped at that and realized the position she had put Stan in and that he was right about Marshall.

"I'm sorry that you're getting dragged into the middle of this. You can tell him that I'm pregnant, but I want to be the one to tell him that it's a boy."

"Perfectly fine with me. Everything is going to be okay. You two will end up fine as long as you don't break his heart."

"I'm not going to break his heart. I may have taken the long hard way of figuring this all out, but I know what I want and hopefully Marshall still does too."

"Alright give me a few minutes and we should be in," Stan said, before heading back to the door.

Mary felt excited and couldn't wait for Marshall to come in the door. She couldn't help, but wonder if this is what normal kids felt like on Christmas morning trying to wait to see what treasures Santa had brought. This was the best gift ever for her and their son. Mary paced the floor hoping that Marshall felt the same as she did. She went to the window and peaked out just as Stan opened the door and sat down.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan gently shook Marshall's arm to get him to wake up. He was happy when he saw him open his eyes and look out the window confused.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, Stan."

"Your body is still healing and you need your rest, so don't apologize," Stan replied as he noticed Marshall's eyes went to the open front door.

"How long have we been here?"

"I wanted to give Mary a head's up and I needed her permission to give you some information before we head inside. None of it is bad by any means, but under the circumstances I thought it best you were both informed before seeing each other again."

"What's wrong with Mare?" Marshall asked worried and trying to fight the urge to throw the door open and move as quickly as he could inside.

"Nothing is wrong with her. She's five and a half months pregnant with your child from the little incident in Paris."

Marshall's eyes widened in light of the new information. Stan was worried when he saw the color drain out of Marshall's face.

"Marshall, please just take a few deep breaths. I need you to calm down and just absorb the information. I would much rather you and Mary spend some time together then having to take you to the hospital.

"I always wanted to be a father," Marshall whispered softly before an idea formed in his mind. "Please tell me she's not thinking about giving the baby up for adoption."

"Not a chance in hell. She had herself put on desk duty the minute the doctor asked. Mary wanted to tell you herself, but I didn't think that would be a good idea right now. It's also why I talked to her while you were sleeping. I didn't need the shock causing her or the baby any undue stress."

"Can we go in now?" Marshall asked, after acknowledging what Stan had said.

"As soon as the two of you are situated then I'll leave." Stan said, getting out of the car for the second time that night and moving towards Marshall's door. He wanted to make sure Marshall could get out of the car without falling.

"I'm okay Stan," Marshall said watching Stan watch him.

"You're wobbly and I have a feeling your partner isn't going to notice anything but you standing alive and in person in the house," Stan mumbled softly.

Marshall gingerly took the step up onto his stoop before doing the same thing to get into the door. The minute he inside he saw Mary stop her pacing and stare at him. He didn't even notice Stan stand in between and off to the side of them.

"Mare."

Mary cursed her damn hormones as she turned into a crying mess at the sight of Marshall standing in the room. As much as she had talked about not giving up hope that he would come home she had started to believe that it would be in a body bag even if she refused to admit that to anyone else.

"Marshall," Mary replied excited to actually say his name to him. She moved forward to throw her arms around him when Stan stepped in her path.

"Stan," Mary and Marshall both protested.

"Don't 'Stan' me you two. You are more then welcome to hug him but no putting extra weight on him or touching his hip. We don't need to go to the hospital tonight."

Mary finally really looked at Marshall and noticed the cane after that. Walking up to him she gently cupped his face before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She laid her head against his shoulder and was comforted by the scent she had been clinging to for all these months. She could hear his heart beating in his chest and she clung to the sound that had always calmed her before finally releasing five and half months of pain in a heart wrenching sob.

"Mare, I'm so sorry." Marshall kept saying over and over while holding her tight and placing kisses to the top of her head.

Mary wanted to pull herself together in order to talk to Marshall, but it felt so good in his arms. She knew there was so much to say and had no doubt that he would want to feel their child. It was when she felt him try to shift his weight she remembered his hip. Pulling back from him she swiped the tears away.

"Are you okay? Do you need to sit down? What happened? Where have you been and why the hell didn't you call?" Mary asked suddenly feeling angry. "Do you have any idea what hell you put us through?

"That's my girl," Marshall said, happy to see her normal self and not the shattered woman that had been in his arms.

"Mary, why don't the both of you get some sleep tonight, and then we can go into detail about what happened in France. You need sleep and so does Marshall. After our conversation we will go to the hospital to get him looked over."

"I have the medical records from France. I need to go in for physical therapy. They say it takes three to four months to return to full activity," Marshall replied.

"I thought you said you didn't go to a hospital," Stan said recalling their conversation at the office.

"I didn't. No one knew how far Cheryl's reach extended and who knew about Mary and I. It wasn't safe to take me anywhere that I could be identified. Blake came to the veterinarian's place to use the equipment there," Marshall replied shrugging.

"Water? Carl's son? The one who was married to Rachel or Cheryl depending on how you want to look at that? That's why you didn't call. None of you knew if she had them being tracked," Mary said.

Marshall nodded while trying to cover up a yawn. He didn't know why he was tired; he slept on the flight.

"We can talk tomorrow. I'll stay here tonight, while the two of you get some sleep. You both need it. To bed now," Stan ordered.

"The guest room is down the hall, first door on the left. Marshall and I will be in his room."

"I'll be fine, you two get some sleep."

"Goodnight Stan," Mary and Marshall replied in unison.

"Goodnight kids." Stan said smiling.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary waited for Marshall to come out of the bathroom. She knew they really needed to talk, but that wouldn't happen with Stan down the hall. The door opened and Marshall came out with the cane. She needed to know exactly what had happened to him. They had talked about care, but not injury. Of course, Stan and he talked about her being pregnant but they haven't talked about the baby.

Mary slid over to let Marshall in on the closest side. He slid in and laid flat on his back.

"I really hate this position," Marshall muttered.

Mary rolled over and looked at Marshall's face.

"Should I ask?"

"I dislocated my hip and for three months I got to stare at walls all the time. Seven days

after the injury I could perform passive range-of-motion exercises with assistance. The

rehabilitation was delayed a month because of an infection that interfered with my healing process."

"I didn't want to leave you. I heard the sound of the car crashing as we took off. We never stopped looking for you."

"We need to talk, Mare, about everything," Marshall replied.

"I know we do, but not with Stan in the next room."

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"We're having a son," Mary said, reaching over to grab Marshall's hand and putting in on her stomach. She knew full well that was what he wanted to do.

"He's your son, too. I'm okay with you touching me. The rest of the world better keep their hands off the stomach."

"Don't let my Mom hear that. She usually wants to touch once when the baby kicks if she's around."

"I think I could make an exception when your mother is involved. She's been struggling with your not being here."

"You talked to her?" Marshall asked surprised while moving the t-shirt up so he could actually touch the baby bump that was hiding his future son.

"A lot actually. I like your Mom." Mary replied and inhaled sharply when she felt Marshall's fingers running over her skin.

"Are you okay?" Marshall asked alarmed at her reaction.

Mary couldn't help but feel the burn of desire as he continued to run his hand over her bare skin. All she could do was nod. She was afraid of how her voice would sound if she didn't. Marshall was in no shape to be giving her what she truly wanted and they did need to work things out.

Marshall rolled to his side thankful Mary had moved over so he wouldn't be on his injured hip. He noticed the way her eyes were filled with desire. He couldn't help but remember that morning if he wanted to be technical when they created their son.

"I love you Mare."

Mary reached up and cupped Marshall's cheek. She let her thumb trace over his cheekbone lovingly as she built up the courage to actually admit how she felt.

"I finally realized that I was in love with you before Brandi decided I should start dating other people since you'd been gone for so long. I tried so hard to fight it for fear that I would destroy you with the poison known as the Shannon family. The more I tried to protect you, the bigger my mistakes became and the worse I hurt you. I was a fool for a long time but I can't deny how I feel anymore and I don't want to. I had to live five and a half months worrying that the only part I had left of you was our son. I realized the difference between you and my father and that you would never abandon me on purpose. All the things that I used to come up with to stop myself from letting you in were just lame excuses and a way to protect my heart. If it weren't for my carrying your son then I don't know how I would have made it through. I had a part of you with me and I needed him just as much as I needed you. I love you Marshall Mann."

"Mare, I need to know that you're really sure about how you feel. That this isn't just because of my being missing."

"I know. I've given you plenty of reason to doubt me. We'll start off slow and work on it from there. Besides neither of us is in any condition for anything else. By the time you're healed fully this little guy is going to be almost ready to pop out and the doctor has restricted me from having sex because of the high risk pregnancy and the previous miscarriage. No feeding your pregnancy fetish this time. Marshall, what happened in Paris wasn't a mistake and I'm sorry I hid from you while trying to put the pieces together. The only good thing about the last five and a half months is that it helped me to put my life together. I know what I want, who I want to do it with and what I'm not going to do anymore."

"The only thing I regret about our time together in France was that we didn't make love to each other. I wanted our first time together if we ever got to that point to be special, not for it to be caused by a night of wild drinking. It should have not have taken part of a day to put the memories together. I wanted to remember every touch, feel and curve of your body from the second it happened and for the rest of my life. I didn't want to ravage you like a man trying to have the one thing in the world he wanted so badly, but thought he would never get."

"We'll figure this out Marshall, probably more slowly then we'd like, but as everything else, we'll do it together. Can you sleep on your side?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I missed cuddling with you and if you ever tell a soul that, I'll hurt you," Mary warned as Marshall got comfortable before wrapping a protective arm over her stomach.

Marshall had just about fallen asleep when he felt his hand brush against a material that wasn't Mary's t-shirt. Pulling the item out of the bed he found his favorite shirt coiled up and wrinkled to death.

"What did my shirt do to you?"

"Consider it my security blanket. You can wash, dry, and if feel the need, iron it to turn it back to normal," Mary replied, unable to stop the smile that lighted up her face.

"For reference, my son is getting a blanket and if you need to feel safe and secure then you come to me."

"Fine, be that way. You better become my security blanket and wrap yourself around me from now on. When I get my claws into you I'm never letting go," Mary said, before moving her head so that she was able to capture Marshall's lips in a fiery kiss.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Marshall said huskily as they broke off from the kiss.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Two months later found a very pregnant Mary watching Marshall as his physical therapist was taking him through his exercises. Mary could tell Marshall was reaching his tolerance level. He was sick of not being one hundred percent, tired of not being able to do his usual activities. She knew he missed his hard core running. It was how he cleared his head.

Mary and Marshall's therapist had talked to Mary the last time about the biggest roadblock Marshall faced was his own frustration. At this point Mary wasn't sure who was more frustrated the therapist or Marshall. She knew it was time to intervene. She had warned the therapist that this could happen. While Marshall was usually the calm one he wasn't used to being this inactive for such a long period of time. Mary wanted him at one hundred percent by the end of the following month. It would get him ready to be able to do everything he wanted two weeks before the baby's due date.

Mary signaled to the therapist to let her talk to him. The fact that the therapist had quickly agreed spoke volumes. She had been the most patient person Mary had ever met next to Marshall, but she was at her ropes. Mary put herself right in front of Marshall's view.

"I've had enough. Let's go home," Marshall said.

"No, you haven't had enough. You've bitched enough for the both of us for the next month. What you're going to do is get your scrawny ass back there and do exactly what she tells you to do so that you are fully functional before our son is born. You're going to stop the pity party and man up. No pun intended. I know that you're tired of all of this. I don't blame you, but seeing that I have to lug extra weight around for nine months, the least you can do is suck up and do what needs to be done. The only reason you're not getting anywhere is because you're not doing what you need to do. So do us all a favor and stop being a pain in the ass and get to work. You're going to need all the time you can get in before diaper duty and chasing after the little one starts up and you're running out of time."

"How long are you going to play the baby card?"

"As long as it works, to tell you the truth. We've come along way Doofus. This therapy thing should be a breeze compared to your having married me and managed to entangle yourself into the Shannon family life forever. Look at me please."

Marshall knew Mary was going to get him to comply and he knew that he was acting as a child, but he really was tired of all of this. After rolling his eyes for dramatic effect he finally looked at her.

"On second thought, you might actually fit in with the drama queens. We've survived what happened in Paris and have come out stronger. With the information you gave Stan they got everyone involved in the Paris mess arrested. We moved in together, we got married at the courthouse, and survived your mother's wrath over the aforementioned event. We bought a bigger house to grow into and soon enough we're going to be parents. The baby is getting healthy reports, and we even found a gun packing former WITSEC inspector to be our nanny. There is nothing that we can't beat. So get your rear in gear before I find a way to get this beached whale body to kick your ass so that you finish healing. We're at the finish line Marshall. You just have to hang on a little longer. I'll even make it worth your while after the baby is born."

"How do you plan to do that?" Marshall asked intrigued.

"I have every intention of working on your pelvic thrust. So chop chop, pal."

Marshall pulled Mary in and kissed her deeply before coming up for air.

"I love you Mrs. Mann."

"Don't you forget it. I'll love you even more if you get back to your workout," Mary replied, giving him a peck on the cheek before signaling to the therapist that it was safe to return.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall thought it poetic justice that a month and a half after Mary forced him to focus on healing instead of his frustration they were in the delivery room and Mary was getting her pay back for calling him out. He was at least not stupid enough to point it out.

Mary had been in active labor for over eight hours and was ready to kill the next person who told her to breathe through the contractions. All she wanted to hear was the word 'push'. She had pretty much told the entire staff to take a flying leap. Marshall knew that if he didn't intervene soon Mary would try to get to his Glock. He hadn't had time to remove his backup weapon from his boot.

"Mare, you need to stop punishing people that are trying to help you. You're honestly going to need them and more than likely really soon. I know you're tired and want our son to come out, but like you told me while I was in physical therapy, you haven't had enough yet and you're going to do exactly what they tell you to do and stop bitching. Your words not mine."

Mary glared at him. She should have known her speech would come back to bite her in the ass.

"This is your job and I'll be here every step of the way. I promise you that in the end when our son is born you're going to forget about everything but our little Mann," Marshall said, hoping his sister-in-law hadn't lied to him about that part.

"I hate you right now, you know that right?"

"Actually you love me and I do know that. Now Mrs. Mann it's time to suck it up and take one for the team," Marshall replied before leaning in next to her.

Mary felt his breath against her ear and could smell his intoxicating scent. She swore it was a sickness at this point. She was miserable and that damn cologne still got her senses worked up. Trying to block out his smell she waited to see what he didn't want the others to hear.

"I do believe you promised to help me work on my pelvic thrusts when this was all said and done."

Mary stared at his smirk in disbelief and was about to give him her personal opinion of his comment when the next contraction hit and she grabbed his hand as she felt an overwhelming need to push.

"Marshall, I need to push."

Marshall smiled and continued to support Mary while she continued pushing.

"Alright Mrs. Mann. One more push and your son will be out. The next contraction should be it."

Marshall brushed Mary's sweaty hair off her forehead, whispering loving words as she gave the final push and the sound of a wail filled the delivery room.

Marshall kissed Mary while they cleaned their son up.

The doctor set the infant on Mary's chest and she felt the tears of happiness streaking down her face. She couldn't believe they had created this little boy.

"He's perfect," Mary whispered after counting all his toes and fingers.

"Thank you," Marshall said, his eyes filling with tears.

"Did I ever tell you how amazing you are?" Marshall asked as the nurse put Jacob in his arms.

Mary watched at the look of awe on Marshall's face as he held their son for the first time. Every second of labor was worth that look alone.

"Stop hogging our son," Mary griped as she held out her arms. Kissing his little forehead once she had him in her arms.

Mary could tell their son was going to take after Marshall just by looking at him. It was the first time she understood what Seth had been trying to tell about those eyes in her car. Jacob Marshall Mann had them too.

Mary was holding Jacob while Marshall fussed over the two of them. It was at that moment she truly knew that she had found all the happiness she had never dreamed that she would see. While she made many mistakes along the way, the path had led her to Marshall. Marshall, bless his soul, had the patience of a saint and waited for her, came back to her, and loved and cherished her as no man had ever done before

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Five years passed since Mary and Marshall had gotten married in the courthouse and Marshall had surprised Mary with a trip to Paris. They were once again booked at the Prestige Suite in Le Meurice. Mary complained that it was too expensive especially with four children to clothe, feed and support. Marshall had just smiled and said he had been saving for this trip. He had apparently invested some money in a friend's business that she hadn't known about and that business took off.

Mary couldn't help but think about their four children that were staying in Texas with Seth and Caroline. Jacob was five and the spitting image of his father. Kaitlyn Mackenzie Mann was born eleven months after Jacob. Mary had decided to ignore the doctor's advice about waiting six to eight weeks to work on Marshall's pelvic thrust skills as she called it in front of the children just to watch him blush. Kaitlyn was a combination of the two of them. Her eyes, cheekbones and personality were Marshall's, but the rest of her was purely Mary. Two years later and much to her dismay the twins were born. Reagan Madelyn Mann was the female image of Marshall and Logan Matthew Mann was the male version of Mary. She had to laugh as she recalled that they had unintentionally named all of their children with middle names starting with an M.

Mary smiled as she stared out over the gardens. A little over five years ago this place, this magical place, had given her a life that she had never imagined possible for herself. Magical is how she viewed Paris since her life became complete. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt Marshall's arms envelop her.

"Are you ever going to tell me who the friend is who owns the business you invested our money into?" Mary asked.

"Blake Water. I ran into him a few years ago when he was trying to start a company. He mentioned that he was in town to raise funds for his new venture of developing medical equipment, devices and other things that could help save lives in the future. I really didn't expect anything from it, but I went all in for as much as we could afford at the time in shares as a way to repay him for everything that he and his father had done for me. The company exploded after they made a discovery."

"Marshall exactly how much money did we make?"

"We could retire from the Marshal Service and our kids are pretty much set for life. Although I know that there is no way you or I would ever hang up our guns for retirement. I probably should have told you sooner but I wanted to surprise you with this trip before I did."

"I don't want to retire and honestly if you can pamper me every now and then like this, I won't say a thing about being left out in the dark. I'm glad you brought us back here. I really didn't appreciate it enough when we were here the last time."

"Mare, we can do or see whatever you want. As long as we're together I don't care. I only made one scheduled event and that is for tomorrow night. In honor of the day you did me the honor of becoming my wife I booked us for a dinner cruise on the Cachemire."

Mary turned to Marshall and wrapped her arms around his neck before kissing a line from his ear, to his chin and finally to his lips.

"Marshall, go put the do not disturb sign out. I want to work on your pelvic thrusts."

Marshall placed a kiss on her shoulder before laughing all the way to the door.

"You know you call it whatever you want when the kids aren't around. I promise I won't even blush."

"Oh I can make you blush. Hey, before I get your groove on can you go get us something to drink?" Mary asked.

"Anything in particular that you want?" Marshall asked.

"Surprise me," Mary replied.

She waited until she heard the door click before going to the closet and finding the garment she had hidden. Changing into the purple halter dress that she had worn the night Jacob was conceived Mary waited for Marshall to come back.

Marshall entered the room to see Mary in the dress. He still had dreams about that night. His mind focused back on his wife as she walked seductively towards him. Marshall pulled Mary to him and ravaged her mouth. When they parted for air he caressed her swollen lips with his thumb.

"I want a repeat of the night Jacob was conceived that the two of us will remember with perfect clarity."

Marshall responded by reaching his hands up to untie the halter top and slowly pulling it down to reveal her breasts before pressing her against the door as past and present molded into that one moment in time. It was the perfect anniversary gift for both of them.


End file.
